Foreskin :: Prepuce :: Ridged Band

April 2008

The work of understanding the penis goes on. Why? One reason is that most males (and females) stick to out-dated ideas. However, just telling people they are wrong is not enough: they need to see the evidence. Is this important? Well over 1 million boys in North America alone lose their foreskins every year for mainly cosmetic reasons; circumcisers lie to parents, telling them the foreskin is only a small piece of skin. It has no function, or similar. Of course, sexual function is not something that pops up in mom's or dad's mind, so why should a circumciser remind them junior is about to lose some of the most valuable sexual tissue of the human body. Why should any circumciser worry about another guy's sexual health, especially as the question will not come up for another 15 years or so? As usual, more questions than answers.

We now know that the ridged band of prepuce (foreskin) has special sexual functions. It is erogenous tissue, sensitive to touch. More importantly, the ridged band is what is known as reflexogenic; that is, it triggers sexual reflexes. The most easily-tested reflex is the bulb muscle reflex. Stretching of the foreskin and its ridged band triggers contraction of the bulb muscles at the root of the penis (see diagram). Anyone with a ridged band can test the bulb muscle reflex.

The bulb muscle reflex may not be the only reflex that springs into action when the skin of penis, including foreskin, is stretched. We are presently studying the role of spongy tissue (corpus spongiosum) around the urethra. In this regard whether you are circumcised or not, please do the test and tell me what you find.

Finally - a note on the structure and function of the penile shaft skin. Nearly all our internet respondents confirmed that this skin becomes more, not less, frictional (more grippy) during erection. The skin folds of the penis become prominent, firm and forward-pointing. Not what you expect from the literature! Enhanced frictionality ensures stretching of the ridged band during intercourse. This in turn triggers sexual reflexes for ejaculation at full penetration, not before. Whether this is the same for circumcised as well as uncircumcised men I do not know. The significance of this finding, to my mind, is that added lubrication may actually impair the normal function of the uncircumcised penis. Check it out. The questionnaire has space for your comments on this topic.

Thank you for taking time to read this newsletter. I hope it is useful.

John R Taylor

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Foreskin :: Prepuce :: Ridged Band

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