Foreskin Fun Facts & PHallacies
Foreskin is FOR the bedroom! Intact men, as well as their partners, experience pleasure in an especially satisfying way because of the many natural functions of the male foreskin. Foreskin (first and FOREmost) acts as a protective skin sheath for the glans (head of the penis). Rather than experiencing constant exposure to clothing, the glans stays moist, warm, and shielded under the protective tissue of the foreskin.
Vaginal intercourse is also enhanced by the foreskin’s mobility! The male foreskin introduces a gliding motion during penetration, which helps retain the vagina’s natural lubrication while avoiding uncomfortable friction, making sex more pleasurable. This gliding action also assists in anal intercourse, allowing for more gentle penetration as well as moisture retention.
Foreskin Fun Facts
Size matters
Foreskin makes up around half of the total penile shaft skin. Extra skin? Sounds more like extra pleasure!
Easy does it
The underside of the foreskin is soft and moist, and loaded with nerve endings as sensitive as your eyelids, fingertips, and even the corners of your mouth. (Go ahead, try it!)
Goose and gander
Have you ever felt like you were seeing double while going down or looking down? Every mammal has a foreskin. Men have a foreskin (prepuce), and women have a clitoral hood (also called a prepuce). This means foreskin is quite literally for everyone! The main similarities between the male and female foreskin is how both offer protection and sexual sensation.
Double the fun
Foreskin is bilayered, meaning there is both an inner and outer foreskin. It’s the only skin on the human body that is not attached to underlying tissue, which means it can glide back and forth. In other words, the penis comes with its own sex toy!
Peek-a-boo
The inner foreskin can only be seen when the foreskin is retracted, and this supple skin aids in keeping the penis soft and moist. The outer foreskin is the layer that offers warmth and protection. Both the inner and outer foreskin work together in perfect prepuce harmony!
Turtlenecks are in
The ridged band is the wrinkly part of the foreskin that bunches up around the tip of the penis. The ridged band is well known for its ultra-sensitive, accordion-like structure—every time the foreskin retracts, the ridged band stretches open to seamlessly glide back over the glans. This stimulates the penis all over. Luckily for us, playing with foreskin is much easier than playing the accordion!
Foreskin PHallacies
PHALLACY: “Uncircumcised men are at a much greater risk for developing urinary tract infections (UTI’s).”
FACT: Recent studies show that circumcision does not decrease risk for UTI’s, and some suggest circumcision may even cause them.
PHALLACY: “Most men are circumcised.”
FACT: Most men around the world are intact. Less than 30% of men worldwide are circumcised.
PHALLACY: “Circumcised penises are cleaner and easier to take care of.”
FACT: Cleaning an intact penis is as simple as gently rinsing and wiping the foreskin as necessary. Remember: never forcibly retract a child’s foreskin.
PHALLACY: “Circumcision doesn’t cause loss of sensitivity.”
FACT: Circumcision results in the removal of the entire prepuce, which holds thousands of specialized sensory receptors responsible for receiving pleasure. Circumcision diminishes the penis’s sensation by three-fourths!
PHALLACY: “Circumcision prevents penile cancer.”
FACT: Differences between annual rates of penile cancer recorded in the United States and in countries that do not circumcise are statistically insignificant.
PHALLACY: “Circumcision prevents STDs.”
FACT: Safe sex practices and regular testing prevents STD’s. Genital cutting does not. Oh, and babies are not at risk for STD’s.
PHALLACY: “EWW! Foreskin is dirty and ugly.”
FACT: Foreskin is no “dirtier” than the folds of female labia, and sex with foreskin is plenty pleasurable for people all over the world. Stigmatizing another person’s intact genitals is what’s truly undesirable! And once you’ve learned to appreciate the foreskin, it becomes quite beautiful!
