I wrote previously about foreskin retainers. I hold my foreskin forward with a baby bottle nipple retainer. I also use the TLC Tugger Your-Skin Cone. And, there are other alternatives. The foreskin retainer is invaluable for those who are trying to regain their sensitivity and do not yet have enough skin to cover their glans unaided. The foreskin retainer keeps the foreskin forward and allows the glans and inner foreskin remnant to dekeratinize and regain their natural sensitivity.

TLC Tugger sells the Your-Skin Cone. When I bought my TLC-X bi-directional tugger it came with a Your-Skin Cone. I also bought an extra one. The Your-Skin Cone is worn similarly to the baby bottle nipple retainer. As seen in the picture to the right, It is white silicone.  The Your-Skin Cone is just as easy to clean as a silicone baby bottle nipple. I just use regular soap to wash and rinse under running water.

The Your-Skin Cone stays on best when the foreskin had some tension on it. As my foreskin grows and as the temperature changes, I alternate between the baby bottle nipple retainers and the Your-Skin Cones. I prefer the nipple retainers because they have a lower profile than the Your-Skin Cone.  I occasionally snag the outside edge of the wide part of the cone. This dislodges the Your-Skin Cone. Some say that you can use sharp scissors to trim the edge. I have not tried it, but it seems like it would help.

There are still other ways to retain the foreskin over the glans. I have not tried them, though. Links are provided for those who wish to try them or learn more about them.

Cross-taping is a good way for those first starting to restore who have tight skin. To cross-tape, the foreskin is pulled over the glans and two pieces of tape are used across the opening. A medical tape should be used. Some guys use self-adhesive bandages, like Bandaids, but I do not recommend using them. Bandages are more expensive than tape. Also, bandages are usually plastic and the skin cannot breath well for the extended periods that the tape is worn as a retainer.

For beginners with tight skin, cross-taping will help grow new skin. But, as more slack skin is grown, the taped foreskin has less tension. To get more tension in the skin, some guys use a packer under their foreskin when cross-taping. The packer fits against the glans and forces the foreskin to be tensioned when it is cross-taped. By doing this, the foreskin will grow.

A tape ring is another foreskin retainer. The foreskin is pulled over the glans and a ring of tape is wrapped around the tip of the foreskin. Again, a medical tape should be used. The tape ring forces the opening of the foreskin to be less than the diameter of the glans. This keeps the foreskin from sliding back and exposing the glans.

One enterprising restorer came up with the tapeless tape ring. The tapeless tape ring is two layers of tape with the sticky sides stuck together to form a ring. To make a tapeless tape ring, an object of the proper diameter is used. A length of tape is wrapped around the object with the sticky side of the tape out. A second length of tape is wrapped around the first piece of tape, with the sticky sides coming together. This forms a ring with a preset diameter.

O-rings are used by some as a retainer, as well as a way to tension the foreskin for tugging. After the foreskin is pulled over the glans, an o-ring is slipped over the foreskin. Like the tape ring, the o-ring reduces the opening of the foreskin end and prevents it from retracting.

Caution:

Those using a tape ring or an o-ring are cautioned to not use a ring that is too small. If the penis becomes erect with the ring on, the ring will move back with the foreskin. If the ring is too small, it will be tight and possibly restrict blood flow in the penis. This is not a good thing. During the day, this is easy to fix. But, if the tape ring or o-ring slips back at night when you are sleeping, you may not wake immediately and your penis could be harmed.

A good size of ring can be determined by waring one and then getting an erection. The ring should not feel overly tight when the foreskin retracts.
 

Related links:

• Part 1 of this post describing using baby bottle nipples as a foreskin retainer
• Restoring Tally posts on Sensitivity
• Apollo Technologies Instructions for O-rings
• Initial Application of O-Rings at IOMfAtS
• More information on retainers can be found in the member section of Restoring Foreskin.org.
• How to start restoring your foreskin describes why many men retain during foreskin restoration
• Magic Briefs: How to retain your foreskin without trying by just wearing tight briefs