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'''Excessive skin removal''' is a frequent [[complication]] of male [[circumcision]]. The [[foreskin]] has many important [http://www.intactaus.org/information/functionsoftheforeskin/ functions]. One of those functions is to unfold at times when the [[penis]] becomes [[erection| erect]] so as to provide the necessary skin to accommodate the expansion that occurs during erection.
Male circumcision is not a precise operation. There are few, if any, guidelines to direct the surgeon on how much skin should be removed. There is a lot of variation in normal penile anatomy. The surgeon has to guess at how much skin should be removed. If excessive skin is removed, the patient will have tight, painful erections. In extreme cases, there may be insufficient skin remaining to allow the shaft of the penis to expand to its full length. Taylor et al. (1996) found that circumcision removes about 51 percent of penile skin and said "[s]kin and mucosa sufficient to cover the penile shaft was frequently missing from the circumcised penis." They reported "an estimated shortfall in shaft skin of 20-25%."<ref>{{TaylorJR LockwoodAP TaylorAJ 1996}}</ref>