Do men have to be circumcised?

The foreskin is the thin layer of skin on the genitals, mostly located at the head of the penis, covering half or the entire glans. The foreskin is a very important tissue for men. It can protect the penis, reduce the damage caused by friction of the glans, etc. However, the foreskin can also bring adverse effects to the body. For example, a lot of dirt will accumulate in the foreskin, causing serious hygiene problems, etc. Therefore, circumcision is a common surgery in modern life, but do men have to be circumcised?

Only those whose foreskin is too long and affects their normal life need to be circumcised. After puberty, the glans of normal men are fully or mostly exposed. If the glans cannot be exposed, the foreskin still covers all or most of the glans, but the glans can be exposed by hand or after erection, which is called prepuce is too long. Prepuce is very common in men. As a component of the male external genitalia, the foreskin has important physiological functions. The medical community has been conducting research on the function of the foreskin. With the deepening of research, there is a new understanding and knowledge of the function of the foreskin.

At present, the functions of the foreskin that are generally recognized by the medical community are as follows: First, the foreskin covers the glans penis and protects it. This function was more prominent in primitive humans. Because primitive humans had to hunt and other activities, they were often bitten by various mosquitoes in the deep mountains and forests. Since the glans penis is a sensitive and easily irritated part, the foreskin can make it easier for people to complete various activities. Modern humans no longer engage in primitive hunting activities, and they all wear decent clothes, especially cotton underwear with exquisite workmanship, which increases the protection of the genitals.

However, as the result of thousands of years of human evolution, the protective function of the foreskin cannot be ignored. The secretions of the foreskin itself contain bactericidal components, but due to the moist and humid environment of the foreskin cavity, bacteria can reproduce more easily here. This is a question of balance. If the growth of bacteria exceeds the self-cleaning function of the foreskin, then foreskin inflammation may occur. In addition, as mentioned above, there are many secretory glands in the inner plate of the foreskin, and the secretions can play a lubricating role. The accumulation of secretions and the inability to be cleaned and removed normally will also facilitate the reproduction of bacteria and cause foreskin inflammation.