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adjusted REFjournal; reformatted REFdocument
At the point of birth, the development of the external male genital organs is not completely finished. At this stage, the foreskin and glans share an epithelium (mucous layer, the balano-preputial membrane) that fuses the two together. It serves to protect the glans during infancy, and dissolves as the child develops. Premature forcible [[retraction of the foreskin]] will tear this membrane, causing great pain and injury to the boy, who suffers this abuse. The child, himself, should be the first person to retract his foreskin.<ref>{{REFjournal
|last=Wright
|firstinit=J.E.JE
|title=Further to the <q>Further Fate of the Foreskin</q>
|journal=Med J Aust
|DOI=
|accessdate=2019-10-01
}}</ref> <ref name="NOCIRCpretract">[{{REFdocument |url=http://www.nocirc.org/publish/6pam.pdf '' |title=Answers to Your Questions About Premature (Forcible) Retraction of Your Son's Foreskin'']. |location=San Anselmo: |publisher=NOCIRC, |date=2000. |format=PDF}}</ref>
Only then the foreskin can be retracted. The age at which this occurs is subject to the child's individual development. If the foreskin is retracted prematurely, before it has fully separated, that can result in painful tears and infections.
Thorvaldsen & Meyhoff (2005) conducted a survey of 4000 young men in Denmark. They report that the mean age of first foreskin retraction is 10.4 years in Denmark.<ref name="Thorvaldsen">{{REFjournal
|last=Thorvaldsen
|firstinit=M.A.MA
|last2=Meyhoff
|first2init2=H.
|title=Patologisk eller fysiologisk fimose?
|journal=Ugeskr Læger