Today close to 55% of male babies in the U.S. are circumcised before they leave the hospital; back in the 1980s, the number was at a whopping 85%. That means that today, there are a lot of adult men walking around with a circumcised penis. Many of those circumcisions were performed in the interest of good penis care, with the belief that a circumcised penis is easier to clean. Some of those were performed for religious reasons. And in some cases, circumcised fathers simply wanted the assurance that their son would look like them.

However, circumcision has left many men wondering about penis sensitivity. Is it true that a man loses a great deal of sensitivity when he loses his foreskin? Though anecdotal evidence says that perhaps men who are intact are more sensitive, researchers are now looking into the claims through a series of experiments.

What does science say about penis sensitivity?

A recent study from Queen’s University tested 62 men, half of whom were circumcised, with a series of tests to determine sensitivity. They were tested on four spots on the penis: the head, two areas of the shaft, and the foreskin (assuming they were intact). They were tested for pain, fine touch, warmth, and heat pain.

By using a tiny thread, the researchers poked at those areas until the man could feel it, then poked again until the man reported feeling pain. Another test involved a heated rod; they touched the spots with the rod while it was warm, and then asked men to let them know when the warmth was too much to handle.

The results were interesting, to say the least. The study found that when it comes to very fine touch, the foreskin is more sensitive. However, when detecting warmth, the foreskin might be more sensitive than the head, but it isn’t any more sensitive than the shaft. There was no difference in the locations when it came to warmth or heat pain.

What’s even more interesting is that the foreskin was comparable to the forearm when tested for sensitivity to fine touch.

What does this mean? That perhaps those who have their foreskin are a bit more sensitive to the finest and lightest of touches, but everything else is the same, regardless of circumcision status. Though some men point out that the motion of the foreskin during sex or masturbation adds even more pleasure to the act, it’s really impossible to know if that is true; after all, they have never known what it felt like to have sexual activity without a foreskin!

Increasing penis sensitivity

The bottom line is that penis sensitivity varies from one man to another, but the difference in sensation for most is likely minimal. That’s excellent news for those men who were circumcised at a very young age and always wondered how different their sex life might be if things were different. It also means that circumcised men should never assume their sexual experience is better than that of a man who is cut; it’s just different.

Regardless of whether a man is circumcised or not, it is vitally important to do all possible to improve and maintain penis sensitivity throughout life. Using a top-notch penis health crème (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin) can help ensure all men are as sensitive to touch as possible, a factor that could greatly improve their sex life. Look for a Shea butter crème that includes not only the most important vitamins, such as A, C, D and E, but amino acid acetyl L carnitine as well. Acetyl L carnitine is a neuroprotective that helps prevent peripheral nerve damage, and as a result, improves penis sensitivity and the health of penis skin.