T-Tape

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Here are some helpful tips and answers to frequently asked questions that will help you with your taping and tugging. Additional tips will be added to this page from time to time as they become known from the discussions on the restoration mailing list.

CONTENTS:

• Don't Stretch Too Hard
• Do I Need to Stretch All of the Time?
• What Kind of Tape is Best?
• Removing T-Tapes
• Finding the Equilibrium Line
• Positioning the T-Tape End-Joint
• Improving Tape Adhesion
• Suspender Clip Keeps Coming Off
• Pleating and Attaching the Clip
• Extending Tape Life
• Why Doesn't the Tape Stick as Well as it Used to?
• Keeping the Tape Dry While Showering
• What Kind of Elastic Straps Work the Best?
• The "Hanky Trick"
• O-Ring Substitutes
• Will my Restored Foreskin Start Where the Natural One Did?
• Other Internet TTape Tips Sources
• Subscribing/Unsubscribing/Using the Restoration Mailing List
• Subscribing/Unsubscribing/Using the Intact-L Mailing List

TIPS:

• DON'T STRETCH TOO HARD: Most men get over-anxious to make progress during the first few weeks or months of restoration, and apply too much pressure to the T-Tape. This generates invisible micro-tears in the skin, and often even causes visible damage including sores, torn skin, swelling, and blisters. When this happens, you will lose taping time waiting for the damage to heal. Even worse, such damage can cause scarring and stretch marks which are permanent, ugly, and can even interfere with penile functioning. Here is the advise of experts: Have patience. Restoration using T-Tapes is the fastest non-surgical process, but it will take a year or longer (depending on your goals) to complete. Don't get over-ambitious with the stretching -- the best results come with constant, even stretching at a low enough tension to avoid any pain or skin damage. Start with a tension of 16 or 18 ounces (see note below) -- if you think you want higher tension, work up from here very cautiously. Use the "water cup" method described on Page 1 to determine needed amount of stretch in your elastic strap. One more time: If you are getting recurring skin damage, YOU ARE PULLING TOO HARD -- back off dude! You will make better progress by just settling into a routine of constant gentle stretching.
  
  Note: Those with a larger diameter shaft can normally add some extra ounces to your pulling force because a larger circumference needs a higer ovarall pulling force to yield the same "per inch" pulling force. The length of your your penis is not the controlling factor here -- just your diameter.
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• DO I NEED TO STRETCH ALL OF THE TIME? It's important to keep tension on for nearly 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, if at all possible. If you stretch nearly all of the time, your progress will be much greater. The tension first stretches the skin, and the skin cells elongate as a result. This stimulates the growth of new cells. When you stop stretching for a while, the elongated cells go back to their round shape. The next time you stretch, it takes a while before the cells elongate again so you can once-again, begin to grow new cells. Another reason to stretch nearly constantly is to keep the glans covered, which will allow the skin on the glans to become thinner and much more sensitive, which is what you want! If you are unable to stay strapped up for any reason (swimming for example), use an O-Ring or Tape Ring (see the O-Ring tip) to hold the skin forward over your glans to keep some tension on the skin and to keep your glans covered so it won't dry out.
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• WHAT KIND OF TAPE IS BEST? Most people find 2" wide 3M Micropore Paper Tape is the best. Its inexpensive, it sticks good, it can be removed easily (see tip below), and it is soft and pliable so pinching of the skin at the pleats is minimized. If you can't find it at your local drug store, try going to a hospital pharmacy -- they will either have it or can order it, and normally it will be priced in the range of $2.00 to $5.00 per roll, but occasionally you may find it at an even lower bargain price. Below is a source where you can order online:

          Richmark Medical Supply Inc.
  			West Chicago, Illinois
  			1-800-882-8889
  			http://www.rmsupplies.com/
  			$7.50 for six rolls (2" x 10 yards) plus shipping.
  			

  To find Micropore, click on the "Wound Care" icon at the bottom of their homepage.
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• REMOVING T-TAPES: Lots of people seem to have trouble getting T-Tapes to come loose when they want to remove them. You will find that Micropore tape comes off effortlessly if you soak it in warm water for a few minutes first. So take a nice leisurely shower or bath, or just submerge your taped shaft in a glass of warm water for a few minutes while you are brushing your teeth or shaving, and then gently remove the tape. Even though the tape may seem to still be tightly stuck, once you get your fingernail under part of it, you can normally just gently peel it off without any pain. If there is remaining adhesive, a little rubbing alcohol on a wash cloth or facial tissue removes it nicely, and also prepares you for the next taping (as mentioned above). Remember, a warm water soaking will loosen Micropore tape -- if it doesn't, just soak a bit longer. If the shower doesn't seem to do it for you, take a nice bath and relax a while.
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• FINDING THE EQUILIBRIUM LINE: Stretching from your point of equilibrium is important primarily to keep the tension balanced between the inner and outer skin. Balanced tension assures faster growth of new skin -- if one side takes all the tension, that is the only side which will grow. Unbalanced tension also will make the T-Tape bond fail prematurely.
  
  Here's how to find your equilibrium line: While flaccid, pull your shaft skin as far forward as you can without causing pain. Pull on the inside skin and outside skin a little until it seems like the tension on each is about equal. The fold-line at the end of this skin is your point of equilibrium -- mark it with a series of dots using a non-toxic marker (try Crayola washable markers -- non-toxic and wash off easily). The line on most men will normally be located a little ways toward your body from your scar line, but everyone is different. Install the centerline of the T-Tape head on the equilibrium line. New restorers sometimes have trouble finding their "equilibrium line" since the shaft skin is still so tight. If you just can't seem to find the line, I recommend you install the T-Tape so that the edge closest to your glans is just about on the scar line. After a couple of weeks of gentle stretching, you should have enough new skin so that finding the equilibrium line will be much easier.
  
  By the way, some people's equilibrium line does not run straight around the shaft -- it may be farther forward on the top or the bottom because they were cut unevenly. Since the tape is not very flexible, it is hard to install it on a curving line -- so just install the centerline of the T-Tape straight around your shaft on the best "median" equilibrium line that you can. With a few weeks of stretching, you will have grown enough new skin on the "tight" side that your equilibrium line will be much straighter.
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• POSITIONING THE T-TAPE END-JOINT: When you wrap a T-Tape around your shaft, the joint where the two ends meet is often a weak spot in the system. Sometimes the tension from the elastic begins to tear the adhesive loose from your skin at this joint, or even may tear the leg of the T away from the T-head. This results in a little less tension on the skin at that spot, which over time may mean reduced skin growth there. To avoid this, I recommend moving the joint formed by the T-Tape ends each time you install. One time 45 degrees to the right (about 1:30 on the clock), the next time straight up (high noon!), and the next 45 degrees to the left (10:30 on the clock). Rotating between these three positions should assure even growth.
  
  While not shown in the pictures in the T-Tape Picture Book, I have been using a new variation for installing the tapes which helps reduce problems at the joint. Rather than cutting out a piece of the T-leg as is shown in the T-Tape Picture Book, I now just make a single straight cut, adjacent to the T-leg, on the T-head which is closest to the glans. I do not remove any of the T-leg. This allows for an over-lapping of the T-legs at the joint, which minimizes problems at the joint.
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• IMPROVING TAPE ADHESION: Make sure your shaft skin is clean and dry. Skin oils, lotions, or old adhesive will drastically reduce the time the tape will stay adhered, and sometimes interferes with even installing the T-Tape. So taping after a bath or shower is good. If you can't bathe at the time, at least wash your shaft skin before taping, and then make sure the area is thoroughly dry before taping. Also, gently swabbing the area where the tape will be applied with a wash cloth or facial tissue moistened with a little Rubbing Alcohol will help remove oils from the skin surface, enhancing adhesion. The alcohol will also sterilize the area, which is good since stretching often produces invisible micro-tears to the shaft skin. Another trick used by some is to apply a thin coating of Tincture of Benzoin -- available at most pharmacies -- to the skin where the tape will be applied (let it dry before applying the tape). One more thing -- sometimes you may get some tape that is old or defective, and it doesn't stick as well. If that happens, buy some new tape. I also recommend that you don't make up more T-Tapes time than you will use within a couple of weeks -- the adhesive ages more rapidly once it is removed from the roll. You may want to store extra T-Tapes in a plastic baggie to keep the air from drying out the adhesive.
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• SUSPENDER CLIP KEEPS COMING OFF: There are several brands of clips commonly available. You want to find ones that will get a good grip on things without pulling off. The worst kind of clips are the ones that just have the end of their jaws folded toward each other. Most often when these jaws are closed, the teeth are not aligned with each other very well, and they will pull off your T-Tape quite easily. Better clips have nylon or rubber pads on one or both jaws, and these really get a good grip on things. The ones in the photos in this Picture Book have nylon pads on each jaw, and the pads have teeth on them that interlock with the mating pad. These clips work very well. By the way, if you have trouble with a clip slipping off, open the clip and put a small screw driver or other metal object towards the back of the jaws. Then pinch the jaws shut until they bend slightly -- this will increase their clamping force when closed. If that doesn't help, look around for a different brand of clip.
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• PLEATING AND ATTACHING THE CLIP: Many people ask how to fold the end of the T-Tape before clipping, and how to keep the clip from pulling off of the tape. A good folding method is to make numerous small "accordion" pleats -- keep each one about 1/4" or smaller in size. These small pleats will reduce pinching where the folds meet the part of the tape attached to your skin. Also, after installing a new T-Tape, it helps to flex it a bunch of times to soften it up -- that "knocks the corners off" of the folds and minimizes pinching. The thickness of the numerous pleats gives the suspender clip something to bite into, which helps keep it from slipping off.
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• EXTENDING TAPE LIFE: Perspiration and drops of urine often keep the "inside" of your developing foreskin moist, which causes the adhesive on the inside part of the T-head tape to lose its bond. This results in greater stress on the remaining outside part of the T-head tape, which can cause sores or damage to the skin and usually results in the T-Tape pulling off before it should. Even one drop of moisture can cause this problem. To help prevent this, there are a couple of easy things you can do:
  
  
  • Always dry thoroughly after urinating. Even a single drop of urine can cause an adhesive failure because it is trapped under your new foreskin and can't evaporate. Milk all the urine you can out (tip: try milking starting from the base of your scrotum), and dry the glans with a piece of toilet tissue. If you are at home, and accidentally get the tape moist, dry it with a hair dryer for a minute or two before the adhesive comes loose.
    
    
  • If the tape on the inside of your new foreskin is coming unstuck, try this -- it will fix the problem! Place a small piece of absorbent material on the head of the glans when wearing a T-tape. A small circular or square pad made from soft paper towel, facial tissue, or toilet paper works fine. Place the pad on the end of your glans, and as you draw the T-Tape leg forward, tuck the edges of the pad in under your new foreskin. This is comfortable, and it generally will extend the T-Tape life by a factor of MANY times -- numerous people say it will stay stuck for 4 or 5 days unless you remove it yourself first! My favorite is to use a small piece of good quality soft paper towel like Brawny -- cut about a 2" square, fold it in quarters, and trim the corners off to make it round (but leave a small hinge on the folded side so all the pieces stay together). It is soft, very absorbent, and does not disintegrate and leave little pieces stuck to your glans when you try to remove it like tissues frequently do. One pad will last all day with no problem. If you are not at home, you can always make a pad by folding a piece of toilet paper in thirds each direction to make about a 1" square pad -- you can tear the corners off to make a round pad which is quite comfortable.
    
    
  • As an alternate to an absorbent pad, some people like to use a ball of absorbent material, such a several squares of 2-ply toilet paper crumbled into a ball (2, 4, or 6 squares depending on how much foreskin you have grown), or a cotton ball. Putting this in your tunnel of new foreskin before clipping-up will absorb moisture, and will also hold the end of the foreskin and tape out into a circle, avoiding pinching which can otherwise occur where the pleats in the tape intercept the skin. If you use cotton, you still may want to put a little piece of good quality paper towel over the glans first, as the cotton tends to stick to the glans otherwise (you end up with a beard when you remove the cotton!). One downside of using this "ball" at night -- if you get a nocturnal erection, you may wake up in considerable discomfort because the ball can prevent things from expanding. Another variation of the ball technique is to fashion facial tissues into a small cone with a concave bottom -- this will be very comfortable once you figure out the best shape.
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• WHY DOESN'T THE TAPE STICK AS WELL AS IT USED TO?? There have been several questions on the restoration mailing list wondering why the tape seemed to stick OK when restoration was first started, but as more foreskin developed the tape no longer adhered as well. Here are the two main reasons I think this happens:
  
  1) As more skin develops, the part of the tape on the "inside" of your new foreskin is unable to breath (i.e. sweat and other moisture can't easily evaporate). The moisture breaks the adhesive bond. This puts more strain on the tape on the outside of your shaft skin than it can hold, and it eventually pulls off (often with some skin damage). See the EXTENDING TAPE LIFE tip (above) for the solution to this.
  
  2) Even though you tape when erect, after restoring for a few weeks or months you have extra skin on the shaft which may not be fully stretched longitudinally. If you tape without stretching this extra skin tight toward the base of your penis, the skin will try to stretch out until it is tight as soon as you apply tension from the elastic strap. This causes the skin near the tape edges to be overstrained once you apply the elastic. The overstrained adhesive fails early in that area, putting the full strain of the elastic on the remaining tape. Since that is a reduced area, it is also overstrained which results in the T-Tape partially or fully pulling off. To avoid this, once you start getting lots of extra shaft skin, you must keep it stretched tight by pulling the extra skin toward the base of you penis as you install the T-Tape.
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• KEEPING TAPE DRY WHILE SHOWERING: This topic has been extensively discussed on the mailing list. Several people say they put a plastic sandwich bag over their penis and balls, and fasten it with a rubber band. One person said he puts a condom on over the tape, hooks a suspender clip to the tape through the tip of the condom, and keeps the water out by tying the clip off to something above his waist so his penis stays pointed upward (to avoid injury in case you slip, I suggest tying it to your neck rather than a fixed object). Another fellow said he showers with the tape on and just lets it get wet. Afterward, he uses a hair dryer to dry it, claiming the tape comes out nearly as good as new. My two cents worth: Making the T-Tapes and applying them using the method shown in this picture book is so quick and easy and cheap that it is often less trouble to just remove the old tape during your shower or bath, and then just apply a new one after you dry off.
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• WHAT KIND OF ELASTIC STRAPS WORK THE BEST? The straps described in the Picture Book are the "around-the-waist" strap for daytime use, and the "over-the-shoulder" strap for night time use. These are good, all-purpose straps that are very easy to make and will work pretty well for everyone. However, there are several other types of more elaborate straps that you can use, and personal preferences vary widely on this topic. Two fairly common types are "leg straps" that fasten just below the knee or to the ankle.
  
  Some people use the around-the-waist strap or leg-strap day and night, but most find the over-the-shoulder strap best for night use because this strap pulls the penis more or less straight up towards your belly button, which allows for nocturnal erections without discomfort. If you wear boxers or PJs at night, you can clip the free end of the strap to your waist band at the center in the back. If you sleep in the buff, route the strap over one shoulder, down your back and under the opposite arm, and clip it back to the elastic strap just above your penis. An alternate for buff sleeping which has been recommended by some on the list: take a 2" wide by about 24" long strip of terrycloth (or some other soft material), put the two ends together, and clip one end of an elastic strip to those ends. Step through the loop with one leg and pull the loop up as far as it will go, making sure the clipped ends are toward your backside. If the loop is the right size, it will stay on your butt cheek instead of pulling itself into your crack. Pull the strap up your back, over one shoulder, down your front, and clip it onto the T-Tape.
  
  Another very interesting system that lots of people seem to like is Johnny's "Pouchless Jock Strap" -- it is basically a regular jock strap with most of its pouch cut out (leaving only the border of the pouch), and a piece of hooked Velcro sewn to the waist band on a 45 degree angle a few inches to each side of front-center. Then make a very short elastic strap with a clip on one end and a piece of looped Velcro on the other. Clip this to your T-Tape, and Velcro the other end to the waste band of the jock strap. Johnny has a demo slide show which shows this attachment system, as well as details of his "J-Tape" method -- download the file JTAPE.EXE (1.3mb). A variation is to just make a waist band out of 3" wide elastic instead of using a jock strap. I have mixed feelings about this system. It is comfortable enough, but because the length of elastic pulling on the tape is so short, it is hard to regulate the tension.
  
  If you have access to a sewing machine and have a good imagination, you can make just about any kind of strap using various widths of elastic and nylon straps, buckles, suspender clips, and Velcro. All of these parts are all pretty cheap at your local fabric store, so you can experiment without spending a lot of money. If you come up with good ideas, please share them on the list.
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• THE "HANKY TRICK": This topic has been discussed on the mailing list, but its still a little hard to describe. Some people take a handkerchief, and fold it on the diagonal and roll it into a strip about an inch or so wide. They tie a loose overhand knot in it, slip it over their penis, and push it down to the base. Now when they tape, they clip their elastic strap onto the T-Tape, wrap the elastic around their waist, and clip the free end to the two ends of the hanky. Some people apparently route the tails between their legs (in their butt-crack) and others just pull it to one side with the elastic. The basic idea is that the elastic is always attached to two things that will not move (like the waist band on your boxer shorts can). Some guys also said they believe this may prevent scrotal migration (stretching of the scrotal skin at the same time the penis skin is being stretched). I haven't tried this "hanky trick" because I have had no problem just clipping the strap to my boxers. Also, by wearing boxers, your penis is fed out through the fly and lies against the cloth of the boxers rather than your skin -- this reduces sweating, which will cause premature tape failure. If you do use the hanky trick, you may wish to slip a paper towel between your penis and abdomen to reduce tape-adhesion moisture problems from sweating.
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• "O-RING" SUBSTITUTES: Its aids restoration to keep some tension on the developing foreskin constantly, but there are occasionally extended periods where it is not possible to wear a T-Tape and strap (for example, when swimming, etc.). There has been lots of discussion about using "O-Rings" during those times (pull the shaft skin forward over the glans and place the O-Ring over the tip to keep it from retracting back over the glans). The O-Rings are fine, but some people say they have drawbacks. Here are a couple of good substitutes:
  
  
  • Use a "Tape-Ring". Pull the skin forward over the gands, and encircle it with a 1/4" or 1/2" wide piece of tape. If you make this the right diameter it will keep the skin forward, but when you need to urinate you can pop the glans through, and pull the skin back over the glans when done. Works pretty good.
    
    
  • Use a small wide Rubber Band. The problem is of course finding such a rubber band. Try going to an office supply store, and buying a couple of those little rubber things bank clerks wear on their finger when counting money. Look for the gum-rubber ones (yellowish translucent appearance). Cut a 1/4" or 3/8" rubber band from the top end of those. That band is quite stretchy, and comfortable to wear. Some people tie a little piece of thread to the band, and pin the other end to their underwear -- that prevents the band from being lost should it come off in use.

  
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• WILL MY RESTORED FORESKIN START MORE OR LESS WHERE THE NATURAL FORESKIN STARTED FROM? The skin from the base of your penis to a ways past the scar line is very loosely attached to the shaft underneath, which allows the skin to slide up and down the shaft. However, a short distance behind your glans the skin is much more securely attached to the shaft. When you are stretching, the loosely attached skin is the part that stretches and grows. This results in the new foreskin starting at about the spot where your existing skin is securely attached to the shaft, which is usually between your scar line and the corona of your glans. That means that the expanding skin will normally include a little of the original and very sensitive inner foreskin.
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• OTHER INTERNET TTAPE TIPS SOURCES Perhaps the best source of online information on TTapes, and restoration in general, is the Gary Burlingame's "Discuss Foreskin Restoration Mail List" -- see below for how to subscribe. There are also numerous web sites on restoration in general, mostly authored by members of the above mailing list. So if you hang around the list, you will see update notices posted by the authors. One page I recommend is Marc's T-Tape Tips. I had been experimenting with adding additional reinforcing to the TTapes I make, with good success. Turns out Marc had been doing the same thing, and since he has done a fine job of documenting his work I recommend you check out his page. Marc also has an excellent photo diary of his progress which you can get to from his tips page.
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• SUBSCRIBING/UNSUBSCRIBING/USING THE FORESKIN RESTORATION MAILING LIST: Gary Burlingame's "Discuss Foreskin Restoration Mail List" is a mailing list for people to get support on foreskin restoration. A mailing list is sort of like a conference run over over email. Any subscriber can write messages to the email address of the list. The mailing list software automatically emails the subscriber's message to everybody that is subscribed. You can respond to other peoples' messages directly to the author, or to the list where everybody will be able to see your response, or both. There is no cost to subscribe to the list.
  
  There are two versions of the list -- the "regular" version, and the "digest" version. Subscribing to the regular version of the list will result in you getting dozens of separate email messages from the list daily. If you instead would prefer a single large message containing all of the individual list messages, then you should subscribe to the "digest" version of the list. With the digest version, the mailing list software waits until it accumulates 20k or so of messages, combines them into a single large "digest", and sends that to you in a single message. Generally you will get about one or two digests daily, depending on list activity.
  
  To subscribe or unsubscribe to either version of the list, click on the appropriate choice from below, and then press "SEND" (NOTE: Before you press SEND, make sure the email message has your real email address, and that you have left the body of the message blank):
  
  
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  Once you have subscribed, remember that you can send a message to everyone on the list by addressing it to: restore-list@eskimo.com. If you have questions or problems about the list, please contact the list owner, Gary Burlingame.
  
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• SUBSCRIBING/UNSUBSCRIBING/USING THE INTACT-L MAILING LIST: The Intact-L Mailing List is for people seeking an end to circumcision and other forms of genital mutilation. There is no cost to subscribe. To subscribe or unsubscribe to Intact-L, prepare an email message addressed to: majordomo@cirp.org but leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message, put only the words subscribe restoration or unsubscribe restoration depending on what you want to do. After those words, you may optionally add a space and your real email address (no "anti-spam" email address, or the list messages will not get to you). Once you are subscribed to the mailing list, you will automatically get all mail sent to the list, and you can send a message to everyone on the list by addressing it to: INTACT-L@cirp.org. Comments or questions should be sent to: Gary Burlingame
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