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→Anatomy and development of the male genital organ: Wikify.
The growing together of the folds results in the seam that runs from the underside of the scrotum and the penile shaft up to the tip of the foreskin. The penis now consists of the shaft containing the erectile tissue, with the glans at the top. The shaft is surrounded by the [[shaft skin]] which, however, is not knitted to it. This mobility, combined with the [[stretching]] capabilities of the [[skin]], allows for the growth in dimension of the penis during an [[erection]]. During an [[erection]] the erectile tissue fills with blood, giving the penis its stiffness and enlarged size.
In the area of the [[glans]] the [[shaft skin]] transitions into the outer layer of the [[foreskin]], which extends past the tip of the [[glans]]. Parallel to that runs the inner layer of the [[foreskin]]. It is attached behind the rim of the [[glans]], and runs between the [[glans ]] and the outer [[foreskin ]] layer, also past the tip of the [[glans]]. At the tip, the inner and outer [[foreskin ]] layers are joined together.
This junction makes up the [[ridged band]]. At the underside of the penis, in the area of the seam, the inner foreskin layer is connected to the glans by the [[frenulum]].
[[File:Circumpendium-2-penis-1-English.jpg|center|400px]]
Like the [[shaft skin]], the [[foreskin ]] layers are neither fused to the penis, nor to each other, but are moveable against each other. This enables the foreskin to be retracted all the way past the glans until it is stopped by the [[frenulum]].
[[File:Circumpendium-2-penis-2-English.jpg|center|400px]]
At the time 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
|init=JE
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.
The widening of the [[foreskin]] also depends on age. A child's [[foreskin ]] may be too tight to be retracted all the way past the [[glans]], even though it has already completely separated from the glans. This early [[foreskin ]] tightness, frequently confused with ([[phimosis]]), is a normal stage of development and vanishes with increasing age in most boys.
A study by the Danish paediatrician and school doctor, [[Jakob Øster]], of 9,545 examinations of pupils, published in 1968, led to the following results<ref>{{OesterJ 1968}}</ref>:
|accessdate=2019-10-01
}}</ref> Non-retractile foreskin is the more common condition until about 10-11 years of age.
== Penis size ==
The average length of the adult penis is 5.5 inches or 14 centimeters. The average girth is 4.6 inches or 11.7 centimeters.<ref>{{REFweb