Changes

The '''ridged band''' is a band of highly innervated wrinkly skin toward just inside the end tip of the [[foreskin]]. The term ''ridged'' is used to describe the area instead of the more commonly used term ''wrinkled''. It has, especially in regard to [[phimosis]] (and preputioplasty), been called '''preputial ring''' or '''phimotic ring''', ''ring'' being analogous to ''band'', referring to the shape, and ''preputial'' meaning ''pertaining to the [[Foreskin|prepuce]]''. More particularly, it refers to the transitional area from the external to the internal surface of the prepuce, or foreskin. The ridged band separates the outer skin of the penis from the inner mucosa. The ridged band contains nerve endings arranged at the crest of rete ridges. The nerve endings resemble Meissner corpuscles or Krause end-bulbs. The nerve endings in the ridged band are stimulated by deformation of their capsules. Deformation of the capsules may occur by pressure, by stretching of the foreskin, or by the rolling or gliding of the foreskin during sexual activity. The nerves of the ridged band are believed to provide sensory input to the autonomic nervous system, which regulates sexual response. Because of its location, the ridged band is invariably excised if a male is circumcised.