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wikify puberty
Baby boys are born with the foreskin fused with the [[glans penis]] by the balanopreputial lamina, a [[synechia| synechial membrane]], which prevents retraction. The [[preputial sac]] is closed by the synechia and cannot be infected.<ref name="fleiss-hodges-vanhowe1998"/> The synechia breaks down over a widely variable period of years to release the foreskin and allow retraction.
In addition, the tip of the foreskin ([[acroposthion]]) is usually too narrow to allow [[retraction of the foreskin]], but usually widens as [[puberty ]] approaches to permit retraction.
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 since he will not retract if it is painful.<ref name="Wright1994">{{REFjournal
===Foreskin in adolescence===
The foreskin is in a transitional state during [[puberty ]] and adolescence, in which it is changing from the non-retractile foreskin of childhood to the fully retractable foreskin of adulthood. Many adolescents complain of a non-retractable foreskin. Many teens need to do manual [[stretching]] to widen the tip of their foreskin if they wish it to retract. They usually achieve full retraction by age 16. The foreskin facilitates normal [[masturbation]].
===Foreskin in adulthood===
The foreskin may be retractable or non-retractable. Most men have a retractable foreskin, but about two to five percent have a longer, tighter, non-retractable foreskin, which is a normal variant.
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 of tissue 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 become 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]].
About two to five percent of men have a foreskin that did not become retractable in adulthood. That condition is called [[phimosis]] and is a normal variant that does not require treatment. Some believe that the longer foreskins may not get naturally stretched by [[erection]], so are more likely to remain tight and non-retractable. Treatment is optional. Many men happily live out their lives with a non-retractable foreskin.
The outer foreskin usually becomes somewhat darker after [[puberty ]] due to increased melanin.<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hyperpigmentation
|title=hyperpigmentation