As a back story, I spent 27 years of my life with an uncircumcised penis that was for nearly all of the time, relatively healthy and normal. It was a long foreskin (when flaccid it over-hung the head by about 1-2cm), and it was never tight or inflamed.

I did have a frenulum breve (where the skin band connecting the foreskin to the glans was short and would pull the head down when fully retracted and this would sometimes tear a little during sex - which hurt like hell and made me afraid to really 'go to town' so to speak.

That was until Friday 15 January 2010 when strangely enough I had my wisdom teeth removed. Probably one of the worst experiences in my life, whilst I was recovering in bed and feeling sorry for myself over the weekend, I had forgotten to have a shower for possibly 2-3 days and during that time my foreskin became red, itchy, and tight right at the tip.

Pulling it back to urinate was very sore, with the skin cracking and bleeding, and it began to develop a white "scar ring" at the tip of the foreskin.

I went to see the doctor, and he said I had phimosis caused by BXO (Balanitis xerotica obliterans) and referred me see a urologist (Dr Neil Smith in Southport).

I got an appointment about 2 weeks later, to which by that time the condition had settled down but the tight, white scar ring remained and it would crack the skin regularly causing small ulcerations and further pain.

He confirmed it was BXO, and basically said the only effective treatment was circumcision. He would be able to fix the frenulum as well.

At this point, I was actually a little excited as I've always fascinated about being circumcised.

I even remember standing in the shower a few months earlier, looking at my penis thinking "will I ever experience life as a cut man" but always dreaded that if I decided to do it and I didn't like it, it'd be the worst decision of my life. So I always put the idea of getting circumcised is the back of my mind.

Now that I actually had a legitimate medical reason to have it done, and no longer enjoying my foreskin (as it was always sore), I had the perfect opportunity to have it done.

I agreed to proceed and booked in for day surgery on the 19 March 2010, and it would performed under general anaesthetic, with local anaesthetic injected as well. I could have waited to get it done in the public system - but that would be months on a waiting list. So I decided to pay for it to be done privately.

By the time I had the op, the BXO also affected the tip of my glans around the meatus and I believe had started to affect the urethral opening. If left untreated, it can continue down the urethra and cause even more damage and constriction - which I definitely did not want to happen.

So what was it like? I've grouped my experience into categories:

Pain? Surprisingly no, it was not painful AT ALL. Yes it was a little uncomfortable just after the local anaesthetic wore off, but easily manageable with paracetamol and that was only for the first day or two. In comparison I think a paper cut is worse than a circumcision!

Erections? No real problems there, sleeping in the foetal position (hunched over) helped with the nocturnal erections to relieve any pulling pressure.

Showering/bathing? I had read some conflicting information about this (because of the dissolvable stitches). Some said 'no baths' or don't even get it wet, some said just a trickle in the shower, some said soak in a bath. I ended up having a bath every night for about a week or so, with salt added to the water. I think it really helped keep it clean (especially when getting the bandages off, just let them soak) and it never got infected.

Stitches? I had dissolvable stitches, and after about the 6th day, they started coming out by themselves (well, one got stuck to the bandage). I had read previously that stitches should not be left in for more than 7 days otherwise you can end up with skin tunnels or 'train tracks' resulting in a poor cosmetic appearance.

So when that first stitch came out, I "encouraged" most of them out as well. One of them though wouldn't budge and didn't come out till around day 8-9, and it did end up leaving a very small stitch tunnel, but it's tiny and barely noticeable.

Healing? I'd say it went well as I didn't have my frenulum removed and there was only the circumcision scar/ring. However, at the back of the penis about 1cm down from the scar, I can feel a small lump under the skin that is quite hard and moves around. This is apparently the end of one of the veins that was clipped/stitched and has a little scar tissue on it. It mostly doesn't bother me, but I can feel it when I'm getting oral.

Swelling and bruising? Yep, definitely had both at first, I was quite surprised at some of the bruise patterns - it must have been rough! But it all went away after the first week.

Puffiness? Not to be confused with the swelling/bruising - but after a circumcision the lymphatic system in the remaining foreskin is disrupted - which often results in a build up of lymphatic fluid in the remaining inner foreskin (lymphoedema). This makes the mucosa look really 'puffy' or like a frilled neck lizard.

I had read that if the puffiness is not kept under control during the first 2 weeks, it can result in bubbles/lumps forming around the stitches, and cause a permanent 'puffiness'. Therefore I used to keep a self-adhering bandage applied for a few weeks afterwards to keep it compressed and reduce the lymph fluid build up.

After about a month or two, it was mostly gone - I think the compression bandage was a good technique (it was a fine art trying to get the bandage on whilst it was flaccid before it thought it was "play time", and at the right pressure so I could still pee comfortably!) It's all good now, only puffs up slightly if it's been used a little too rough ;)

Recovery and time-off? I had a week off work, and could have easily gone back after 2 days (but I really wanted some time off and work wouldn't allow annual leave at that time, so it was a good opportunity!)

After about 2 weeks, I'd say that's when the wound heals to a point where it starts looking back to 'normal'.

About 3-6 weeks is when it starts feeling normal just walking around, going to the toilet, etc, when I got used to the new way of doing things and sensations.

About 12 weeks when it's back to normal for sexual activity - and just keeps getting better. Also around this time start forgetting what it was like having a foreskin.

About 3-6 months is pretty much 95% recovered and just flattening and smoothing of the scar from here.

Sensitivity? I used to be really over sensitive, to the point where I didn't really enjoy oral or penetrative sex. It was just more 'wince' and bear it to try and get some satisfaction. But it was it almost near painful at orgasm.

Whilst technically I have lost 'thousands if not millions' of nerve endings with the removal of my foreskin - and my sensitivity has reduced - this has been a positive.

I can actually feel what's happening without it being uncomfortable - it is way more pleasurable.

Sensitivity does not equal pleasure.

What does it feel like? It's hard to describe in words (and only someone else who's gone through it knows).

It does feel different, but it's not worse. It's just different (like you might have two favourite foods - they have different tastes but they both taste good just the same).

Head now exposed? Given that I was always able to retract my foreskin, and that sometimes I would purposely tape it back (to see what felt like to be cut) I didn't have much of feeling over-sensitive feeling or pain by exposed and rubbing on my underwear. It felt good actually. Maybe a little too good at first! Every time I walked or moved, I was immediately notified by my penis "hey I'm rubbing against something, I'm going to get erect now" and would need to stop and readjust to avoid an awkward moment! But eventually it realized this was normal and it's just like how it felt before. Unless I'm thinking about how it's feeling, it doesn't tell me either!

Masturbation? It was a new learning curve, especially the first time! I think i had just passed the 2 week mark when I couldn't hold back anymore!

One tip for the first time - use LOTS of lube, take it slow and gentle. You won't need much encouragement after 2 weeks of abstinence and direct head stimulation.

After that, I was using lube to masturbate for a while - but it stopped me from being able to just "beat one off" whenever I wanted. I tried using my remaining foreskin to move up and down the shaft and over the head, but that resulted in 'super puffy penis' for a few days and made the skin feel sore inside. Plus I missed the direct head stimulation.

I eventually found my technique for 'dry masturbating' by holding part of of the remaining foreskin below the scar in the lower part of my hand, and using the top part of my hand (with variable pressure) to rub/glide over the scar and head. This works well and it my primary method - but only once per day. Otherwise the skin gets abrasions.

Sex? Previously for me, sex meant 'a tiny bit of pleasure but a whole lot of uncomfort" and was more like a chore.

After the cut and head exposed and "toughened" - it's actually enjoyable to have sex now. And I because its not over sensitive, I can last longer and the orgasm is WAY more intense and enjoyable.

Smell/hygiene I think this was one of the most underrated benefits, at least for me.

I always cleaned my penis properly, pulling back the foreskin and washing gently. I always dried it off after urinating with toilet paper to make sure it didn't stay wet

I never had issues with smegma - but having a longer foreskin I would always have a 'funky' smell going on. Even right after a shower, within 30 minutes it would start to smell, and just get worse from there.

I was always so self conscious of this, I never used a urinal unless it was an emergency. I was always embarrassed of what other guys might smell.

It also pretty much stopped my partner from giving blow jobs unless I had just come out of the shower.

But after the circ - what a revelation it was. Always exposed meant no more smell! It was liberating. I now get spontaneous blow jobs, and I can use the urinal without fear.

Other things? Well, one thing that was a new experience - either when a little pre-cum leaks out or the shake at the toilet didn't quite get out the last drop, I'll now get a little wet dot where my head is directly touching my underwear - and you can feel it too.

Second thoughts? No, definitely no regrets in having it done, even 11 years later. It feels fantastic, no more pain, no more smell! I wish I had it done earlier.

One thing I wish I had done (and learnt more of first) was the style of the circumcision. Because of the BXO and the placement of the diseased skin that needed removing, I had to get a low cut (i.e. less inner foreskin remains).

However, in regards to how tight or loose the circumcision was, I left that up to the urologist - and I ended up with a fairly loose cut and to me it's not what a "cut cock" should look like. Plus on a cold morning, it can look like I never had it cut at all!

I hope this helps anyone who is having to consider getting cut, and that I my shared experience helps.