Prepuce

Abstract

Almost all mammal penises have a foreskin, which in humans first appears at 8 weeks gestation as a ridge of thickened epithelium; the prepuce grows forward over the developing glans, and it is complete by 16 weeks gestation. In contrast to the glans, which is innervated principally by free nerve endings mediating poorly localized sensations, the prepuce has a rich somatosensory innervation forming an important component of the normal complement of penile erogenous tissue.

Aposthia is a rare congenital condition in humans in which the foreskin of the penis is missing in a normally developed penis and urethra; it is a very rare congenital anomaly; however, in the last few years, various cases had been reported. It is suggested that the extensive study on aposthia may be helpful for properly understanding the importance of circumcision and reducing the controversy in medical sciences. Microposthia is a condition of having a very small foreskin; it is diagnosed if the glans penis could be seen partially in a flaccid penis.

Congenital megaprepuce is a rare condition that has only recently received recognition as an entity in its own right, and it is possible that it represents a genuinely new pathology.

Some boys may present with one or more yellowish lumps on the penis that are often diagnosed by the general practitioner as sebaceous cysts or lipoma of the penile shaft, but it is proved to be collections of retained smegma trapped by surrounding preputial adhesions which are called smegmoma. Balanitis Xerotica Obliterans is a chronic and atrophic mucocutaneous condition affecting epidermis and dermal connective tissue that most commonly involves the genital and perianal skin of both males and females.