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→Protective functions
===Foreskin in infancy and childhood===
Baby boys are born with the foreskin fused with the [[glans penis]] by the balanopreputial lamina, a [[synechia| synechial membrane]], which prevents retraction. In addition, the tip of the foreskin ([[acroposthion]]) is usually too narrow to allow [[retraction of the foreskin]]. The [[preputial cavity sac]] is closed by the synechia and cannot be infected.<ref name="fleiss-hodges-vanhowe1998"/>
Forcible attempts to retract the foreskin result in injury to the boy, so should be avoided. The first person to retract the foreskin should be the boy himself.<ref name="Wright1994">{{REFjournal
|accessdate=2019-11-14
}}</ref>
===Foreskin in adolescence===
The foreskin is in a transitional state during puberty and adolesence in which it is changing from the non-retractile foreskin of childhood to thh fully retractable foreskin of adulthood. Many adolescents complain of a non-retractable foreskin. Many need to do manual [[stretching]]. They usually achieve full retraction by age 16.
===Foreskin in adulthood===
The foreskin (also known as the ''prepuce'') is the layered fold of smooth muscle tissue, blood vessels, neurons, [[skin]], and [[Preputial mucosa|mucous membrane]] part of the [[penis]] that covers and protects the [[glans penis]] and the urinary meatus.<ref name="cold-taylor1999"/> There are four layers in the foreskin. The top layer is either epidermis in the outer foreskin or [[mucosa]], in the inner foreskin. The second layer is the lamina propria. The third layer is the [[dartos]]. The fourth layer is the dermis. It is normal for the foreskin to be darker in color than the rest of one's body after puberty. This condition is called hyperpigmentation.
The adult foreskin measures about 3 inches by 5 inches or [[The Foreskin: 15 Square Inches of Erogenous Tissue| 15 square inches]].<ref name="taylor1996">{{TaylorJR LockwoodAP TaylorAJ 1996}}</ref> The foreskin creates the [[preputial sac]]. The two foreskin layers provide a [[skin]] reserve. When the penis becomes erect, the foreskin may wholly or partially unfold to provide the necessary [[skin]] to allow for expansion of the penis during [[erection]].
===Foreskin length===
Natural foreskins are found in all lengths from very short to very long. Most fall near the center of the range. Longer foreskins appear to perform their [[Immunological and protective function of the foreskin| protective and immunological function]] more satisfactorily. Shorter foreskins may be lengthened by [[tissue expansion]] to improve function and aesthetics.
The tapered tip of a longer foreskin that extends beyond the [[glans penis]] is known as the ''[[acroposthion]]''. A very few of the longest foreskins will not remain retracted when released, but will spontaneously [[Gliding action| glide]] forward to recover the glans penis. Longer foreskins improve protection and [[gliding action]] and do not usually create an issue. There is no recognized definition of an excessively long foreskin.<ref name="tip2022">{{REFweb
|ISBN=978-0-553-20429-2
|accessdate=2022-06-16
}}</ref> misled medical science into believing that the foreskin had no function. This meant the foreskin could be excised without doing harm. In actuality, the foreskin has many functions, so its [[amputation]] does [[Bodily harm| great harm]].<ref name="hill2017">{{REFjournal
|last=Hill
|first=George
=== Protective functions ===
The foreskin provides physical protection to the [[glans penis]] and inner [[mucosa]], <ref>{{REFjournal |last=Morgan |first= |init=WKC |author-link=William Keith Campbell Morgan |etal=no |title=The rape of the phallus |trans-title= |language= |journal=JAMA |location= |date=1965-07-19 |volume=193 |issue=3 |pages=123-4 |url=https://www.cirp.org/library/general/morgan/ |archived= |quote=This ritual, however, has become so widespread in the [[United States]] that it is no longer much of a status symbol, and a situation has arisen where any recently delivered mother who is eccentric enough to wish her child to retain his [[prepuce]], would be well advised to maintain permanent guard over it until such time as they both leave the hospital. |pubmedID=14310332 |pubmedCID= |DOI=10.1001/jama.1965.03090030045013 |accessdate=2024-05-21}}</ref> supplying moisture and natural oils by [[transudation]], while protecting the [[mucosa]]l tissue from pathogens, pollutants, friction, injury, [[keratinization]], de-sensitization, and drying out. The foreskin protects the glans penis and meatus of infant boys from abrasion and irritation from ammoniacal diapers.<ref name="gairdner1949">{{GairdnerDM 1949}}</ref> <ref name="dobanavacki2012">{{REFjournal
|last=Dobanavacki
|init=D
|pages=107-18
|url=http://www.thesurgeon.net/article/S1479-666X(16)30179-2/pdf
|quote=
|pubmedID=28017691
|pubmedCID=
==Videos==
<b>Why you need to pull back your foreskin.</b>
<youtube>v=PcxwW4KH3Wg</youtube>
<br>
Pathologist [[Ken McGrath]], Senior Lecturer in Pathology at the Faculty of Health, [https://www.aut.ac.nz/ Auckland University of Technology] and Member of the New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Scientists, discusses the neurological structures in the foreskin: