Smegma: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Female smegma.jpg|right|thumb|Smegma on a human [[vulva]].]]

'''Smegma''' is the name given to a flaky material that accumulates underneath the [[foreskin]] in males, and underneath the [[clitoral hood]] and within the labial folds in females. In males, it is composed of secretions of ectopic sebaceous glands in the [[foreskin]], mixed with secretions of the prostate, seminal vesicles, mucin from the urethral glands, and desquamated epithelial cells.<ref>{{REFjournal

'''Smegma''' is the name given to the flaky material that accumulates underneath the [[foreskin]] in males, and underneath the [[clitoral hood]] and within the labial folds in females. In males, it is composed of secretions of ectopic sebaceous glands in the [[foreskin]], mixed with secretions of the prostate, seminal vesicles, mucin from the urethral glands, and desquamated epithelial cells.<ref>{{REFjournal

|last=Parkash

|init=S

Line 28:

|url=

|accessdate=2019-10-16

}}</ref> Smegma is not dirt or "filth". It is natural, normal, benign, painless, harmless, and beneficial.<ref name="vanhowe2006">{{REFjournal

}}</ref> Smegma is ''not'' dirt or "filth". It is natural, normal, benign, painless, harmless, and beneficial.<ref name="vanhowe2006">{{REFjournal

|last=Van Howe

|init=RS

Line 44:

|DOI=10.1111/j.1468-3083.2006.01653.x

|accessdate=2019-10-16

}}</ref> Smegma is not an irritant and does not cause itching. It may remain in the [[preputial sac]] for extended periods without doing harm. Its presence is not considered esthetic, so it is customary to wash it away prior to a sexual encounter.

}}</ref> Smegma is ''not'' an irritant and does ''not'' cause itching. The simple presence of smegma in the preputial sac is ''not'' unsanitary, unhygenic, or unhealthy. It does ''not'' cause disease. It may remain in the [[preputial sac]] for extended periods without doing harm. Its presence is not considered esthetic, so it is customary to wash it away prior to a sexual encounter.

[[Intact]] adult males who wash their [[penis]] and [[glans]] periodically with clean water usually do not have smegma between the inner foreskin and glans. In infants and boys whose [[foreskin]] cannot yet be pulled back (natural [[phimosis]]), smegma doesn't matter, while the [[foreskin]] protects the glans. The illustration "Smegma on a human penis" is therefore not typical for [[intact]] men who wash their genitals regularly. Hardened smegma accumulations may be softened by soaking with vegetable oil.

[[Intact]] adult males who wash their [[penis]] and [[glans]] periodically with clean water usually do not have smegma between the inner foreskin and [[glans]]. In infants and boys whose [[foreskin]] cannot yet be pulled back (natural [[phimosis]]), smegma doesn't matter, while the [[foreskin]] protects the glans. The illustration "Smegma on a human penis" is therefore not typical for [[intact]] men who wash their genitals regularly. Hardened smegma accumulations may be softened by soaking with vegetable oil.

Excessive washing and the use of soap inside the [[foreskin]] should be avoided, because soap removes the [[skin]] oil so it can cause non-specific dermatitis that may be mistaken for [[balanitis]].<ref name="birley1933">{{REFjournal

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}}</ref>

The smegma may be washed away using warm water when necessary. Soap, body wash, and shampoo remove the natural oil so they should not be used in the [[preputial sac]].<ref name="birley1933" />

The smegma may be washed away using warm water when necessary. Men with a non-retractable [[foreskin]] may use a rubber-bulb type ear syringe to flush smegma out of their [[preputial sac]] with warm water. Soap, body wash, and shampoo remove the natural oil so they should not be used in the [[preputial sac]].<ref name="birley1933" />

==Video==

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 [[Image:Female smegma.jpg|right|thumb|Smegma on a human [[vulva]].]]
-'''Smegma''' is the name given to a flaky material that accumulates underneath the [[foreskin]] in males, and underneath the [[clitoral hood]] and within the labial folds in females. In males, it is composed of secretions of ectopic sebaceous glands in the [[foreskin]], mixed with secretions of the prostate, seminal vesicles, mucin from the urethral glands, and desquamated epithelial cells.<ref>{{REFjournal
+'''Smegma''' is the name given to the flaky material that accumulates underneath the [[foreskin]] in males, and underneath the [[clitoral hood]] and within the labial folds in females. In males, it is composed of secretions of ectopic sebaceous glands in the [[foreskin]], mixed with secretions of the prostate, seminal vesicles, mucin from the urethral glands, and desquamated epithelial cells.<ref>{{REFjournal
   |last=Parkash
   |init=S
@@ Line 28: / Line 28: @@
   |url=
   |accessdate=2019-10-16
-}}</ref> Smegma is not dirt or "filth". It is natural, normal, benign, painless, harmless, and beneficial.<ref name="vanhowe2006">{{REFjournal
+}}</ref> Smegma is ''not'' dirt or "filth". It is natural, normal, benign, painless, harmless, and beneficial.<ref name="vanhowe2006">{{REFjournal
   |last=Van Howe
   |init=RS
@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
   |DOI=10.1111/j.1468-3083.2006.01653.x
   |accessdate=2019-10-16
-}}</ref> Smegma is not an irritant and does not cause itching. It may remain in the [[preputial sac]] for extended periods without doing harm. Its presence is not considered esthetic, so it is customary to wash it away prior to a sexual encounter.
+}}</ref> Smegma is ''not'' an irritant and does ''not'' cause itching. The simple presence of smegma in the preputial sac is ''not'' unsanitary, unhygenic, or unhealthy. It does ''not'' cause disease. It may remain in the [[preputial sac]] for extended periods without doing harm. Its presence is not considered esthetic, so it is customary to wash it away prior to a sexual encounter.
-[[Intact]] adult males who wash their [[penis]] and [[glans]] periodically with clean water usually do not have smegma between the inner foreskin and glans. In infants and boys whose [[foreskin]] cannot yet be pulled back (natural [[phimosis]]), smegma doesn't matter, while the [[foreskin]] protects the glans. The illustration "Smegma on a human penis" is therefore not typical for [[intact]] men who wash their genitals regularly. Hardened smegma accumulations may be softened by soaking with vegetable oil.
+[[Intact]] adult males who wash their [[penis]] and [[glans]] periodically with clean water usually do not have smegma between the inner foreskin and [[glans]]. In infants and boys whose [[foreskin]] cannot yet be pulled back (natural [[phimosis]]), smegma doesn't matter, while the [[foreskin]] protects the glans. The illustration "Smegma on a human penis" is therefore not typical for [[intact]] men who wash their genitals regularly. Hardened smegma accumulations may be softened by soaking with vegetable oil.
 Excessive washing and the use of soap inside the [[foreskin]] should be avoided, because soap removes the [[skin]] oil so it can cause non-specific dermatitis that may be mistaken for [[balanitis]].<ref name="birley1933">{{REFjournal
@@ Line 165: / Line 165: @@
 }}</ref>
-The smegma may be washed away using warm water when necessary. Soap, body wash, and shampoo remove the natural oil so they should not be used in the [[preputial sac]].<ref name="birley1933" />
+The smegma may be washed away using warm water when necessary. Men with a non-retractable [[foreskin]] may use a rubber-bulb type ear syringe to flush smegma out of their [[preputial sac]] with warm water. Soap, body wash, and shampoo remove the natural oil so they should not be used in the [[preputial sac]].<ref name="birley1933" />
 ==Video==