At the start of this month's meeting, we talked about foreskin restoration devices that used tension created by pushing inward against the glans. One attendee had recently started using the CAT II and gave it a favorable review, saying it fit him comfortably.
Another man had an unexpected item to share with the group, which he warned that some of us might not like to see. He had somehow been able to obtain a clamp manufactured for use in circumcisions. His thoughts were that some of us might be interested to see what had been used on them, and also that we could hold a fundraiser where people would pay to smash the thing with a hammer.
This device, called a Gomco Clamp, is used to crush the foreskin along its circumference at a certain point against a dull metal edge on the clamp, above which the skin is sliced off by the circumciser. It can often result in dark circumcision scars (also known as post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation) that many circumcised men have described at our meetings. As our group passed it around, one of us noted that the instructions gave suggestions for anesthesia use in adult circumcisions - but not for infants.
On a more positive note, we then got to discussing situations in which some of us were describing foreskin restoration to people unfamiliar with the subject. A few of us shared experiences of talking to others about it in public, sometimes to confused or incredulous reponses.
To help with this, some of us have handed out informational leaflets or index cards with information about NORM and foreskin restoration on them. Our coordinator maintains a supply of these in our library. Several of our regulars have used the cards as conversation starters, as well as for spreading awareness of our group and this website. The cards themselves are approximatey 3x5 in size, or 15 square inches - the approximate surface area of the foreskin a man would have that is lost to circumcision. During the meeting, we gave suggestions on how to make them more eye catching, as we needed to print up a new batch.