FAQ · Find answers and suggestions on how to make the most out of your foreGestalt restoration experience

In short: If you are RCI-2* or above (the most prevalent circumcision type in Europe), the foreGestalt companion is easy to apply and can be used as suggested, either with the elastic strap or the tensioning frame. If you have less free skin (<RCI-2*), the companion will help you form it similarly to T-taping, but without the need of applying external stretching forces during the first weeks to months. ^{*For information on available foreskin, please refer to the restoration progress index called “Real Coverage Index” (RCI).}

The following overview will help you decide what strategy to use:

How do you determine the length of the skin band referred to above? Simply place the tip of your index finger onto the tip of your glans without applying much downward pressure. With the other hand, grab your shaft like a rod. Then try to push the shaft skin upwards so that the skin will start to wrap your index finger. Take a look at what maximum height the end of the formed skin band will touch your index finger (without causing pain). With a ruler, measure this length along your index finger (from its tip upwards).

If you can make a skin band available that is 18 mm (0.71″) to 24 mm (0.95″) long, you should be able to apply the foreGestalt companion with ease and without need of pushing it together with your glans down towards the penis base (to form a skin tube). This is usually the case if you are RCI-2 or above.

If your skin band is shorter, you can still apply the foreGestalt companion as described on image “Step 2 (alternative)” on the Resources Page. In that case, place the stalk of your device onto the glans. Loosely grab your shaft like a rod with your other hand. Then gently push the stalk together with the glans downward towards the penis base to get the stalk covered with skin, preferably with some skin already reaching into the recess. Once the sheath of your companion is folded or rolled down, the counteracting tension generated between the flexible sheath material and your glans will be sufficient to trigger skin expansion. In other words, no external pulling force will be needed in that case until you reach stage RCI-2 (after a few weeks to months, depending on the starting conditions).

In short: 24 mm (0.95″) for medium and large foreGestalt devices or 22 mm (0.87″) for the small version.

To be reliably seated under tension, the foreGestalt companion depends on a sufficiently large contact area between its sheath and the shaft skin. Depending on overall penis morphology and on the way a companion is applied, the covered shaft skin length usually ranges between 40 mm (1.9″) and 56 mm (2.2″) for the medium- and large-sized versions. This length is about 2 mm (0.08″) up to 10 mm (0.39″) shorter for small-sized companions. On average, the sheath will cover your shaft skin for about 48 mm (1.9″) below your tip of the glans towards your base. If your penis shaft is shorter, the companion will still work by folding the sheath halfway back up to result in an average shaft coverage of about 24 mm (0.95″). Although the contact area is reduced by half, the additional pressure generated by the folded-over sheath will support sheath adherence. This will equally prevent the device from slipping off under an external, axial pulling force.

A foreGestalt companion is compatible with most popular tension-generating methods. No matter which one you use, remember that less tension is better. Contrary to intuition, too much tension may actually lead to the opposite result: the slow-down or cessation of the cell proliferation process. The causes are not yet fully understood, but may have to do with tissue repair mechanisms when too much tension creates tissue damage. In turn, this will slow down your progress notably. Just keep in mind that the belly tissue of a pregnant woman will be slowly stretched over a period of about 9 months. Likewise, when becoming obese, the process of creating skin is slow – not from one day to the next. In contrast, tissue and skin being stretched too quickly during the growth phase towards adolescence usually leaves unwanted stretch marks behind.

foreGestalt takes advantage of your body’s capacity to grow extra cells to adapt to tissue tension. This is a slow process at nature’s pace. A common foreskin growth rate ranges between 0.5 to 1.5 mm (0.02 to 0.06 inches) per month. This growth rate depends on your individual genetic predisposition, your health status and on the number of hours per day that you are wearing foreGestalt. Nobody can speed this up yet.

For instance, the stomach skin during pregnancy expands slowly over a period of 9 months. That is probably the fastest safe-regime pace you can expect. If you were to eat excessively, your belly will still expand slowly to accommodate the extra fat tissue. Cosmetic tissue expansion, as exercised in various tribes and cultures, is taken slowly as well. People have learned that they will otherwise not see the desired results. In fact, if tissue is forced to expand too quickly, as in a growth spurt during puberty, the skin cannot keep up and you will end up with “stretch marks”. These are not harmful, but indicate that stretching was too sudden or too strong and interfered with the regular tissue generation process.

Consider this: you have been patient for almost your entire life until you made the decision to become proactive and regrow you foreskin. It will thus be easy for you to dive into the foreGestalt foreskin shaping experience and add another few months to get there. For most users, wearing foreGestalt on a daily basis becomes a welcome habit. They enjoy feeling and seeing progress along the way. So do not shy away from embarking on this rewarding experience. foreGestalt is extraordinarily comfortable to wear. You will hardly notice it in your daily routine. And with time, it will become your best friend.

Among other very helpful advice for your journey towards full restoration of your foreskin, the Restoring for Men website provides an often cited restoration progress index called “Real Coverage Index” (RCI). It ranges from RCI-0 [Super tight cut] to RCI-10 [Full erect coverage with overhang]. Depending on how much available skin you start with, foreGestalt will – in most cases – bring you to stage RCI-4 [Intermittent rollover/”The Hump”] between 9-15 months. Many restorers consider RCI-4 as sort of a “feeling reborn and happy” stage. Once arrived at RCI-4, your transition to full coverage will probably be one of the most rewarding experiences in your new life. Follow above link to learn more about the index and the details of each stage. 

Theoretically and technically, you can wear foreGestalt 24/7, day and night. Your foreGestalt companion is made of very skin-friendly, oxygen-permeable (breathable) materials that support uninterrupted use. From a biological point of view, this would even be reasonable. In other scenarios like pregnancy or obesity, a permanent, yet low to moderate tension acts on the tissue and skin that is expanded. So wearing your foreGestalt device continuously over extended periods of time should not do harm, as long as you stay within a safe and natural tension regime and monitor your body for possible adverse signs or reactions such as physical damage, burning, itching, inflammation or the like.

However, wearing foreGestalt continuously is not recommended for the same reasons that you would not wear one and the same clothing or contact lenses day and night. Common sense suggests to take breaks to ascertain that your foreGestalt device stays clean to not cause any damage such as inflammation or infection of your urinary tract, glans or newly created tissue.

So what is the official recommendation? Unfortunately, there is none, because we are all individuals with diverse preferences and metabolisms. Furthermore, even in the scientific and medical community there is no agreement on which tissue expansion protocol is most efficient and safe. Therefore, you have to find out for yourself by trial and error what works best for you. Some restorers report good results following a rhythm of several hours (2-8) of mild to moderate stretching followed by a “recovery” period for the rest of the day. Others restore for 12-16 hours a day over 5 days and insert a break over the weekend. Again, others restore during night time while sleeping. The latter might bear the risk that you are less likely to notice any of your bodily signals if something goes wrong.

In any case, do not wear your foreGestalt device when using any kind of narcotics (even alcohol) or sleeping aids that alter your judgement or impede the proper pain signaling to your brain!

One of the advantages of your foreGestalt companion is its secondary function as a retainer. If no tension is applied, it will keep about 60% of the glans in contact with your own skin, while most of the remaining glans surface stays in contact with the soft, medical-grade silicone cushion. This not only protects your glans against abrasive contact with your underwear. The skin contact furthermore primes your skin and glans for their natural configuration by accelerating glans dekeratinization and regain of a moister, softer appearance of the mucous membrane over time.

Yet, as with any foreign object in contact with your body, regular proper personal hygiene and device cleaning are mandatory.

In short: the elastic strap will distribute the pulling force more evenly onto the entire penis skin, whereas the tensioning frame focuses the pulling force onto the upper shaft skin.

With the elastic strap, your skin gets stretched more evenly, but it may take a bit longer to see effects. However, it is the most comfortable way to regrow your foreskin, no matter where you are or what you do. At day, it is most inconspicuous, and you may not even feel or notice it yourself. At night, it allows you to regrow your foreskin without disturbing your sleep because of its softness and ability to adapt to nocturnal erections.

With the tensioning frame, your front skin near the glans gets ‘exercised’ more intensely and thus growth is stimulated in the area that matters most. Although the frame is rather inconspicuous and hardly visible under your garment, it makes itself noticed a bit more often in certain body postures or during sport activities. It is therefore recommended to wear it only for a few hours (1-5) during the day when it suits you best. Although you may certainly also take a nap with it, you will feel it when lying flat on your belly (if that is your preferred sleeping position).

Therefore, our recommendation from experience is: Grow your foreskin ‘marathon’-style with the frame for a few hours (1-5) a day when it suits you best, and wear the strap if you wish to pursue your daily activities undisturbedly. But remember: do not overdo it! You will notice soon that less is more. Particularly, listen to your body: if you start feeling pain, you either need to reapply the device in a different position or take a break. Inserting a resting phase of half a day or a day is particularly recommended when you see any unusual indicators such as reddening of the skin (too strong pulling force), darkening of the skin underneath the skin entrapment sheath or cold feeling of the skin to touch  (blood flow impediment). Any irregularities that stay for more than half-an-hour mean that your body has to deal with tissue rescue or tissue repair rather than tissue extension. You should therefore refrain from any attempt to speed up the restoration process by overdoing it.

In short: If you treat your foreGestalt companion well, it will treat you well until you are fully restored.

With proper maintenance (regular cleaning with soapy water, no mechanical damaging), a foreGestalt companion is expected to last through your entire restoration journey. Its tackiness and flexibility will remain stable over time. First prototypes are still in regular use for over 22 months (as of November 2020), and are hardly distinguishable from a new device in their look, tackiness, flexibility and functionality.

Failure may be expected in auxiliary parts like the pulling string or elastic bands. In most cases, their replacement does not require any particular user skills, and usually involves very little cost.

Wearing your foreGestalt companion during sex is strongly discouraged. The foreGestalt device is not a sex toy. It may slip off or break. The solid pulling insert may cause harm to you or your partner.