A Man On TikTok Got Circumcised At Age 25 And Here's Everything You Need To Know

"I felt restricted both physically and mentally when it came to conversing with someone I was interested in."

When 30-year-old Robert Walker was in his early teens, he noticed something odd whenever he had an erection or tried to masturbate. Robert was uncircumcised, but his foreskin felt really tight, and he was unable to pull it down past the head of his penis.

TikTok / .Bobbytony / Via tiktok.com

Typically when an uncircumcised penis is erect, the foreskin retracts. But after doing some research and speaking with his doctor, Robert discovered why this wasn't the case for him. He had a condition called phimosis, which is the inability to retract the foreskin over the glans — aka head — of the penis.

pediatricsurgery.gr / Via pediatricsurgery.gr

Phimosis is normal in babies and young children, but typically resolves itself between the ages of 5 and 7. The current incidence of phimosis is 1% in seventh graders with uncircumcised penises.

Robert told BuzzFeed that when he tried to pull his foreskin down, it would feel like a "subtle tear or minor cut." This posed an added stressor for him when dealing with sexual partners. "I felt restricted both physically and mentally when it came to conversing with someone I was interested in and having to explain to them to not pull too hard, or don't do this, or that. I just wanted to get to the point," he said.

@.bobbytony

Just got a haircut ignore the hair on my shirt. #circumcision #gay #bi #straightfacegang

♬ original sound - .Bobbytony

Robert explained his phimosis journey in a series of TikToks (and had a fantastic sense of humor about it, might I add).

He also had to put a lot of extra care into his hygiene maintenance. "I was getting so tired of going above and beyond cleaning every time I had to pee," Robert said. In one of his videos, he goes into how he would clean his penis (and blessed us with a demonstration using a balloon and plastic tube as a model):

@.bobbytony

Really happy to be talking about this. 😃 #uncut #circumcision #fyp there us so much to say. I woke up this morning excited to talk about it more #g

♬ original sound - .Bobbytony

When Robert was 25, he decided to get circumcised. Adult circumcision is a more involved procedure than newborn circumcision. It takes between 30 minutes to an hour and requires either local or general anesthesia. The doctor has to remove the part of the foreskin that goes around the head of the penis, then either cauterize or stitch the rest of it back to the shaft using dissolvable sutures. Robert recovered in three to four weeks. "The recovery process was easier than I imagined," he said. "I was back to work in a month, comfortably. The sensitivity of my new and improved penis was very uneasy at first, but not painful."

Instagram / plainbloke / Via instagram.com

Robert expressed to BuzzFeed that he's extremely happy with the results of his surgery. "Now that my head is showing, I am GLOWING," he said. "Also, the size. It seemed to look bigger after the surgery, and as a result of these two things, I'm just happy."

Instagram / plainbloke / Via instagram.com

It's important to note that circumcision is a cultural practice that varies across the world, and there is no firm medical standard in place that says you "should" or "shouldn't" have it done. If you have questions about your penile health, please make sure to talk to your doctor.