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The foreskin is a sleeve of tissue which covers the penis. At birth the foreskin is tightly attached. By mid-childhood it can be pulled over the penis when the penis is flaccid, or retracted back over the shaft of the penis during urination or erection.
Review Date 11/6/2023
Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
