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Foreskin & circumcision
All you need to know about the foreskin!
Circumcision is the removal of the foreskin, which is done for many reasons. In the Jewish and Muslim traditions, boys are circumcised shortly after their birth.
Foreskin is the term given to the extra skin at the head of your penis. For most of your childhood, the foreskin is stuck to the penis but as boys go through puberty it becomes unstuck. In some cases by the time boys reach 16, they cannot pull the foreskin back over the head of the penis. This can lead to pain when erections develop.
This condition is called Phimosis. Circumcision is usually the solution. The best thing to do is to talk to a doctor or nurse. Don't worry because they've seen it plenty of times before.
Another condition, Paraphimosis, is when the foreskin is too tight and it gets stuck when it is pulled over the head of the penis. The head swells and gets really sore. Your doctor should be able to sort this one easily, don't try doing it yourself.
Hygiene is important around this area, cos you can get Smegma build up (another weird scientific term). Basically this is when a white waxy substance that is naturally given off by the penis builds up under your foreskin. When you leave it there it gets really smelly and bacteria love it, so every time you wash, pull back the foreskin and clean underneath.
Of coarse, a lot of men have themselves circumcised as a cosmetic surgery procedure. Basically you're knocked out and a portion of the foreskin is cut off in a neat way and then the remaining skin is sown with surgical thread.
Finally, it's important to know that circumcision doesn't protect against sexual infections or HIV.
