Changes

It was hypothesized in the past that the layers of keratin resulting from [[circumcision]] provided a barrier of protection against [[Circumcision and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD's)| sexually transmitted diseases]]. In 1986, the late circumcision-advocate [[Aaron J. Fink]] invented the idea, without any evidence, that circumcision could prevent the transmission of [[HIV]], arguing that the hard and toughened glans of the circumcised male resisted infection, while the soft and sensitive foreskin and glans mucosa of the intact male were ports of entry.<ref>{{REFjournal

Recent studies have shown this hypothesis to be false. One study found that there is "no difference between the keratinization of the inner and outer aspects of the adult male foreskin," and that "keratin layers alone were unlikely to explain why intact men were formerly believed to be at higher risk for [[HIV ]] infection, however keratinization of the glans penis was not measured."<ref>{{REFjournal

| contribution=HIV-1 Interactions and Infection in Adult Male Foreskin Explant Cultures | quote=No difference can be clearly visualized between the inner and outer foreskin. | url=http://retroconference.org/2009/PDFs/502.pdf | title=16th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections | author=Minh H Dinh; Sheila M Barry, Meegan R Anderson, Scott G McCoombe, Shetha A Shukair, Michael D McRaven, Thomas J Hope | publisher= | place=Montreal, Canada | pages= | date=2009-12-06 | accessdate=2011-06-28