I was recently hooking up with a guy for the first time and upon further examination of his junk, noticed something bizarre. After some searching on the Internet, I think he may have been uncircumcised.  I kind of freaked out and stuff got really awkward real fast, which I now feel pretty bad about. I think I was just so flabbergasted because I’ve never seen one before. Is there anything special you’re supposed to do with uncircumcised dicks?  What is the point of being uncircumcised? I want to hook up again once I feel more prepared but I’m afraid I’ve done too much damage now.

Ahhh, uncut cocks: one of my favorite subjects.  I myself have never had the pleasure of coming into contact with an uncircumcised penis, but I like to imagine it’s like unwrapping a very special present.

For starters, not being circumcised isn’t at all bizarre.  It’s actually totally natural and normal. People with penises are born with their penises uncircumcised, and we alter this state by performing the medical procedure of circumcision.  So, what is it?

Circumcision refers to the full or partial removal of the foreskin, most of the time done right after birth on baby boys.  The foreskin is a part of the penis anatomy. All it is is a sheath of skin that covers the head of the penis. When a penis becomes erect, this thin layer of skin tends to retract from the penis’s head.  It’s totally awesome because it protects the penis head and the urethral opening, keeps everything moist and even enhances sexual pleasure.

You may be thinking to yourself, “Sam, foreskin sounds great. Why would anyone want to chop it off?”  In many cultures, circumcision has been connected to religious practice. In the U.S., it’s more done out of social expectation than anything else. As often happens with things that have widespread religious foundations, we do it over and over again until we forget why we started in the first place! This explains why you may have been startled: More than half of baby boys in America get circumcised, and many images in porn, diagrams and medical text books show circumcised penises. It’s what we’re used to seeing!

But that is slowly changing as more people are discovering that circumcision is unnecessary.  New hospital data is showing that in 2010, only 58 percent of baby boys are circumcised, compared to about two-thirds in the ‘70s.

Some people and medical communities argue that circumcision is “cleaner” and safer in terms of STI protection.  True, little kids with penises have to be instructed in how to properly wash their foreskin, as they will have to be taught how to keep their genitals clean in general. Some HIV prevention work and research surrounding adult male circumcision in sub-Saharan African countries with high HIV prevalence suggests that when compared to control groups of uncircumcised men, the ones who opted to get their foreskins cut off came out of the study with lower infection rates. However, these results aren’t necessarily cross-cultural. In the U.S., where HIV prevalence rates are low, circumcision wouldn’t have a substantial prevention effect on these rates, and safer sex supplies are much more widely accessible and acceptable.

One mega downside to circumcision is the possible loss of sensation. While it is generally difficult to measure something as subjective as pleasure, the fact of the matter is that circumcised penises rarely have an intact frenulum, which is the cord that attaches the foreskin to the penis and is reportedly the most sensitive part of a penis.

Many receivers of uncircumcised penises also say that they are extra meaty or girthy, which gives a more pleasurably full feeling when you’re getting fucked by one. Win!

Not having a foreskin can also cause sensory overload to a point of decreased sensation and skin keratinization.  Imagine, if you will, that your forearm is in a constant state of being lightly scratched by fingernails, never a shirt sleeve to protect you. But every once in a while, you stop getting scratched and get tongue flicks instead. You feel the change in sensation, but it’s a bit dulled because you’re used to constant attention.  This is kind of like what happens to circumcised penises. They’re constantly being rubbed against the inside of pants, touched by hands, exposed to the environment and whatnot without that extra layer of foreskin to keep sensations at bay. So when uncircumcised penises are stimulated, and the foreskin is pulled back to reveal the glory underneath, it’s like WA-BAM! Bliss.

Speaking of bliss, here are a few things you can do with penises with foreskin. Keep in mind that the basic structure of cocks—and techniques to getting them off—are shared by many penis havers, cut and uncut alike. With foreskin, just a few little extra special fun things are possible.

Lots of people with foreskin say it’s super hot to start off by leaving the foreskin over the head of the penises, even when it’s hard. Rub, lick, or suck the dick head through the foreskin to create a teasing effect of sensory deprivation in the best of sexually frustrating ways. Some people love to have a tip of a tongue or finger inserted between the foreskin and shaft and swirled around slowly. Finally, uncircumcised penises have the best toys of all—the frenulum. That cord-like stretch of skin that keeps the foreskin attached to the penis is jam-packed with super sensitive nerve endings. You can lick it up and down, glide a lubey finger over it, lightly pinch it back and forth, flick it fast with a tongue. The possibilities are endless.

So now that you know a little more about the foreskin, let’s say you want to try again. Next time you’re about to hook up with this dude, just be honest and don’t make a big fuss out of it. Just be like, “Hey, sorry I got weird last time. I had never seen an uncircumcised dick before, and it was just new for me. I shouldn’t have reacted that way though. My bad.” And then move on—with your new set of foreskin fucking skills!