Read an interesting article about care of the foreskin:
An intact penis is self-cleaning just like a vagina, eyeball or nose/sinus. It is quite fitting; you may have to clean the 'outside', but you don't need to wash out the 'inside'. And just like an eyeball, you may wash the 'outside' (outer eyelid), but you don't wash the 'inside' (inner eyelid or eyeball). The foreskin is amazingly similar to the eyelid in that it is two-sided skin, with one side serving a protective function, and the other side serving a moisturizing functions, and both sides serving important sensory functions (there are more functions). The eyelid and the foreskin are the two most elastic pieces of skin on the male body. All of these examples involve areas where there is an inner mucous membrane, and an outer protective (but still sensitive) area. Even the mouth (cheek and lips) qualify; the cheeks and lips are two-sided skin, with a sensitive outer layer and an extremely sensitive inner skin also featuring a mucous membrane.
A boy should certainly not be taught to "use soap" (he'll learn not to do that anyway!), "use a washcloth 'in there'" (he instinctively won't), or anything of the like. Overzealous cleaning disrupts the natural bacterial flora balance and immune system, identical to a woman's vagina. Both women & men produce smegma--in fact, women produce much more of it. It is the same exact stuff; even the smells are identical. Why fear it with men and embrace it with women? Women do not require "internal" washing, and neither do men. Female & (intact) male genital parts are almost exactly identical, and both function much better when uncut! Even though later in life, the foreskin will retract, and urine will get inside the foreskin, this is not a problem for boys/men any more than it is for girls/women (actually, it is far less of a problem than with girls), as mother nature has a plan for boys, too (a better one, arguably).
Smegma is not dirt. It is necessary, healthy, and part of the immune system and natural septic system of the body, just as it is with women. Smegma is produced by not just produced by the inner foreskin, but by the vagina, the anus, and sometimes other parts of the body as a function of healthy sebaceous activity.
In general, the foreskin requires minimal care. The following suggestions will help maintain good hygiene. Only the outside of the foreskin needs to be cleaned with soap.
During retraction, the exposed part of the glans should be cleansed with water. Wipe away any whitish material (smegma) that you find there. Smegma is simply the accumulation of dead skin cells that are normally shed from the glans and lining of the foreskin throughout life. Do not use soap under the foreskin. Leaving soapy water under the foreskin can cause irritation and swelling. After cleansing with plain water, always pull the foreskin forward to its normal position.
An intact penis is self-cleaning just like a vagina, eyeball or nose/sinus. It is quite fitting; you may have to clean the 'outside', but you don't need to wash out the 'inside'. And just like an eyeball, you may wash the 'outside' (outer eyelid), but you don't wash the 'inside' (inner eyelid or eyeball). The foreskin is amazingly similar to the eyelid in that it is two-sided skin, with one side serving a protective function, and the other side serving a moisturizing functions, and both sides serving important sensory functions (there are more functions). The eyelid and the foreskin are the two most elastic pieces of skin on the male body. All of these examples involve areas where there is an inner mucous membrane, and an outer protective (but still sensitive) area. Even the mouth (cheek and lips) qualify; the cheeks and lips are two-sided skin, with a sensitive outer layer and an extremely sensitive inner skin also featuring a mucous membrane.
A boy should certainly not be taught to "use soap" (he'll learn not to do that anyway!), "use a washcloth 'in there'" (he instinctively won't), or anything of the like. Overzealous cleaning disrupts the natural bacterial flora balance and immune system, identical to a woman's vagina. Both women & men produce smegma--in fact, women produce much more of it. It is the same exact stuff; even the smells are identical. Why fear it with men and embrace it with women? Women do not require "internal" washing, and neither do men. Female & (intact) male genital parts are almost exactly identical, and both function much better when uncut! Even though later in life, the foreskin will retract, and urine will get inside the foreskin, this is not a problem for boys/men any more than it is for girls/women (actually, it is far less of a problem than with girls), as mother nature has a plan for boys, too (a better one, arguably).
Smegma is not dirt. It is necessary, healthy, and part of the immune system and natural septic system of the body, just as it is with women. Smegma is produced by not just produced by the inner foreskin, but by the vagina, the anus, and sometimes other parts of the body as a function of healthy sebaceous activity.
In general, the foreskin requires minimal care. The following suggestions will help maintain good hygiene. Only the outside of the foreskin needs to be cleaned with soap.
During retraction, the exposed part of the glans should be cleansed with water. Wipe away any whitish material (smegma) that you find there. Smegma is simply the accumulation of dead skin cells that are normally shed from the glans and lining of the foreskin throughout life. Do not use soap under the foreskin. Leaving soapy water under the foreskin can cause irritation and swelling. After cleansing with plain water, always pull the foreskin forward to its normal position.
