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'''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
|last=Parkash
|firstinit=S.
|etal=yes
|title=Sub-Preputial Wetness - Its Nature
}}</ref> <ref>{{REFjournal
|last=Hyman
|firstinit=A.B.AB
|last2=Brownstein
|first2init2=M.H.MH
|title=Tyson's <q>Glands</q>
|journal=Archives of Dermatology
}}</ref> Smegma is not "filth". It is beneficial, benign, and harmless.<ref name="vanhowe2006">{{REFjournal
|last=Van Howe
|firstinit=R.S.RS
|author-link=Robert Van Howe
|last2=Hodges
|first2init2=F.M.FM
|author2-link=Frederick M. Hodges
|title=The carcinogenicity of smegma: debunking a myth
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>{{REFjournal
|last=Birley
|firstinit=HDL
|author-link=
|last2=Walker
|first2init2=MM
|author2-link=
|last3=Luzzi
|first3init3=GA
|author3-link=
|last4=Bell
|first4init4=R
|author4-link=
|etal=yes
The hypothesis that human male smegma is carcinogenic was first formulated in 1932 by circumcision promoter [[Abraham L. Wolbarst]], M.D.<ref>{{REFjournal
|last=Wolbarst
|firstinit=A.L.AL
|author-link=Abraham L. Wolbarst
|title=Circumcision and Penile Cancer
The smegma hypothesis was finally disproven by an exhaustive study by Reddy in 1963.<ref name="reddy1963">{{REFjournal
|last=Reddy
|firstinit=D.G.DG
|last2=Baruah
|first2init2=I.K.IK
|title=Carcinogenic action of human smegma
|journal=Archives of Pathology
|last=Wright
|first=Joyce
|init=J
|author-link=
|title=How smegma serves the penis