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Blood Supply to the Foreskin
The inner foreskin is a layer of special skin called 'mucosa'. It is
the name for tissue that is inside the body. Some examples of mucosal
tissue are the inside of the eyelids and mouth etc. The inner foreskin
secretes substances that; lubricate, give off emollients and mild anti-bacterial
agents. The glans or head of the penis is also mucosa but does not have
any ability to secrete substances so relies on the inner foreskin to do this.
Tissue
that gives off secretions must be fed with the materials to do this with and
that is delivered by the blood. When a circumcision is done the inner and
outer layer of foreskin is amputated, the proportions and amount is in the hands
of the circumciser. As the veins supplying this specialist double
layer of skin are crimped or cut off the natural network of flow and return are interrupted
permanently and do not re-grow during restoration. The routes for the
blood supply are directed via inferior routes and capillaries. The flow is
therefore severely reduced and so is the ability of the remaining inner foreskin
or the restored (expanded) skin to secrete the fluids it was designed to
do. You will see from the following pictures the large dorsal vein and the
network of blood vessels branching off to 'feed' the foreskin.
Picture
veins1 & 2
Šelks2003
Page last updated 26th January 2003