The frenulum was often partly or totally cut away. The streamlined look was out, and there was concern to leave enough skin to allow for erections and for growth. The different motives and techniques account for the differences we see in circumcised penises. Even among circumcised boys in the same family, we can see differences if the boys were delivered by different obstetricians, or if one was circumcised by the obstetrician and another by the family doctor. One will be cut tightly, another loosely, and a third may have most of his foreskin left.
Parental preference affect the results.
Some mothers want their son to match their husband. If the latter was cut tightly, the mother may feel cheated if the boy isn t, and may complain or demand a re-circumcision. The same demand may be made by a mother who is an avid crotch-watcher and likes to view the compound curves of a glans unshrouded by any skin. Sometimes parents express their preferences to the doctor in advance. The result of all this is a greater range of differences among remodeled organs than among natural, intact ones.