This visual aid is a very effective way to see how much skin a man loses due to circumcision. For more information about what is lost see the Lost List.
1. Take a 3″x5″ index card or a piece of paper cut to that size (approximately 12cm x 8cm).
2. Fold it in half lengthwise.
3. Bring the two ends of the folded card together. Hold them in place with your finger so the card forms a ring.
This ring represents an average adult male foreskin. Like this ring, the circumference of the average man’s erect penis is 5 inches (12cm) around and the average foreskin length is 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) for the outer foreskin and another 1 1/2 inches (4 cm) for the inner foreskin. Therefore the total area of an intact adult male’s foraeskin is equal to this 3×5 card (15 square inches or 100 square cm). This is how much skin an adult male loses from being circumcised as an infant. That’s over a third of his penile shaft skin. This skin included numerous pleasure giving nerves and provided protection for the glans and the delicate mucosal tissue of the inner foreskin, the remnants of which can be seen between the circumcision scar and the glans in most circumcised men.