Читать книгу Sex For Dummies - Pierre Lehu A., Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer - Страница 35

At birth, the glans is covered by the foreskin, a sheath of skin that opens at the top. In an infant, this opening is very tight and usually can’t be pulled back (or retracted, to use the medical term). Usually, the foreskin loosens up as the baby grows older. When a male has an erection, the foreskin pulls back entirely to fully reveal the glans. The skin of the glans is very sensitive, and the purpose of the foreskin is to protect it.

In the Jewish and Muslim cultures, the foreskin is always surgically removed in a procedure called circumcision. Circumcision has also become popular in many Western societies because the penis is easier to keep clean without the foreskin. Because of today’s better hygiene, some parents and physicians believe that circumcision is no longer necessary, although the debate isn’t entirely over. Figure 2-3 shows the difference in appearance between an uncircumcised and a circumcised penis.

Illustration by Kathryn Born

FIGURE 2-3: The penis on the right is uncircumcised, while the one shown on the left is circumcised.

Small glands underneath the foreskin secrete an oily, lubricating substance. If these secretions accumulate and mix with dead skin cells, a cottage cheese–like substance called smegma forms. In an uncircumcised man, this smegma can build up and lead to infections and, sometimes, even more serious diseases. An uncircumcised man should always take special precautions when bathing to pull back the foreskin and clean carefully around the glans.

If a man happens to be bathing with a friend, pulling back the foreskin may be a pleasurable task for him to assign to his partner. Some women, who’ve seen the piles of dirty laundry stuffed into a corner of a bachelor’s apartment, have general doubts about the personal hygiene of the average male. This can be one reason that they avoid performing oral sex (see Chapter 15). If oral sex is something that a man wants, but his partner has avoided, having his partner make sure that his penis is absolutely clean may be one way of changing her mind. Even if it doesn’t change her mind, at least he’ll have a very clean penis.