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Notice: This page is meant
for educational purposes. |
Why have a web page on foreskin anatomy?
Education
A surprising number of people in the US have never seen an intact penis.
They have no idea what a foreskin is, what it does, what it looks like, or
what it's good for. This is especially true for the older generations since
the circumcision
rate in the US was once as high as 95%. It is now dropped to 60% for
the US as a whole and 30% in the western states. In most other
western countries, the infant circumcision rate is near zero.
Many doctors in the US have no idea what a foreskin does or what it is good for. These doctors know only about the "problems" guys can have with their foreskins and know of no solutions other than circumcision. No anatomy textbook that I've ever seen has an accurate diagram of what the foreskin is or how it works, although I havn't looked lately (if there is one, I'd like to know). The following pictures are intended show a lot more.
Preventing Circumcision
I hope that once people are educated about the male anatomy, they will stop
circumcising their male infants.
Foreskin Restoration
This information is also meant to support guys like me, who are circumcised
and interested in or are in the process of foreskin restoration. This is meant to
help guys who are circumcised understand how their bodies have been changed
by circumcision and what they can do about it.
I'm really putting this up because so many people have been asking the question. So here it goes...
The foreskin - What it does
The foreskin performs several important functions. Most of these functions center on making sex more enjoyable, not only for just one, but for both partners.Protection
Makes sex feel better
Lubricates during intercourse
Lubricates during masturbation
Reduces the drop insensitivity through age
Allows the erection to grow
Increases sensitivity slowing intercourse
The foreskin - What it is
First what the foreskin is not: The foreskin is not a flap of skin on the end of the penis. This kind of terminology has been used to imply that the foreskin is something redundant with no real function, that can easily be removed with no consequence. This is not the case.
The foreskin is special in that it is not directly attached as most skin is. It is free to slide up and down the shaft of the penis with almost no friction. The foreskin can be thought of as a continuation of the tube of skin that covers the shaft of the penis, but much longer. This tube of skin is firmly attached only at the base of the penis and at the head of the penis. In between the points of attachment this tube of skin has the special property that easily slides on the shaft of the penis rather than being firmly connected as most skin is. The foreskin's length and the fact that it is unattached in the middle allows it to slide up and down the shaft of the penis and roll in on itself over the head of the penis (see diagram below).
The foreskin is long enough so that it continues down the shaft of the penis and rolls in on itself over the head of the penis. For those of you who are only familiar with circumcised penises, that means that an intact penis has two to three times as much skin that a circumcised penis.
A foreskin is long. An intact penis has two to three times the length of skin that a circumcised penis has. When flaccid, most of this length is taken up in the double fold of skin covering the head of the penis. When erect the foreskin can roll back to allow the penis to lengthen while still allowing the skin on the shaft of the penis to remain loose. The foreskin is often long enough to cover the head of the penis while erect.
The foreskin is extremely sensitive. It is filled with nerve endings called stretch receptors that fire when they are stretched, rolled, or massaged.
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For more pictures like these see Penile anatomy - Intact vs. Circumcised from Chymmylt's Foreskin Restoration Site.
Things that are not obvious from these pictures:
The stretching and rolling action shown in the above pictures are very
important. The foreskin is filled with nerve endings called stretch
receptors. These nerve endings fire when they are stretched, rolled, or
massaged. The only purpose of these nerve endings is to make sex more
enjoyable. The stretch receptors are unlike the nerve endings in the head
of the penis which are very sensitive to friction but can be so sensitive
that the sensation can be irritating or painful. The nerve endings in the
head of the penis tend to trigger orgasm much more than the nerve endings
in the foreskin.
The head of the penis has no skin. This may be a surprise to those of you who are familiar only with circumcised penises. The head of the penis is actually covered by a very thin moist mucus membrane, very much like the inside of the lip or the inside of the eyelid. The head of the penis is not meant to be exposed to the elements such as friction against clothing, friction during sex, the sun's rays, or soap (in infants urine or feces). The head of the penis is supposed to be protected by the warm, moist coccoon that the foreskin creates. If the foreskin is remvoed, the mucus membrane of the penis thickens in response to the lack of protection. It may look like skin, but it is not.
The foreskin is lined with smoothe muscle fibers which contract to make the foreskin wrap snugly around the head of the penis. These muscle fibers can relax to permit the foreskin to be retracted.
Friction. There is no friction.
