That's why we have our little prepuces given to us at such a young age. If left alone, the foreskin comes loose on its own and then for the rest of our lives protects our glans from a variety of predators and mishaps. Health-care of an intact penis Gentle knowledgeable care of a brand new intact penis is that special, extra little task parents of a new boys are asked to perform. Separation of these two structures occurs gradually during childhood and the age at which a boy will be able to retract his foreskin is different for each child. Forcing the foreskin to retract will cause pain, bleeding and possibly infection and adhesion.
Phimosis is the name given to an unretractable foreskin.
This normally exists in almost all newborn babies and in some men throughout adulthood. It rarely causes problems. However, should painful erection occur, gentle stretching of the foreskin opening will, in time, allow for retractability. The natural shedding of skin cells from the foreskin lining and the glans helps in the process of separation of these two structures. The cells which have been shed form a substance known as infant smegma.