Hey guys — ever notice anything different when you glance around the locker room? Besides the variety of penis sizes, shapes, and colors, you might also have picked up that some penises have foreskins and some penises don't.

The foreskin is a retractable tube of skin that covers and protects the head of the penis (the glans). All healthy boys are born with a foreskin. Some guys get circumcised ("cut") — an operation that removes the foreskin. If boys get circumcised, it usually happens soon after they're born. In the United States, a little more than half of guys are circumcised ("cut"), and a little less than half of guys have their foreskins intact ("uncut").

To Cut ...

If a boy's foreskin is there when he comes into the world, why get rid of it?

For thousands of years, various kinds of foreskin piercing and cutting were used as tribal marks to distinguish men of one tribe from another. Later in history, circumcision was used to mark men of certain nationalities and religions.

More recently, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, people thought that losing the foreskin would make guys less interested in masturbation, which was believed to cause physical and mental illnesses. Researchers have since shown that masturbation isn't harmful at all — it's completely safe and healthy, as a matter of fact — and that circumcision doesn't affect whether guys want to masturbate, anyway.

Doctors also used to tell parents that circumcision would keep their sons healthier and cleaner. Now, most health care providers believe there are no, medical or hygienic reasons to have a child cut. Although some recent studies have suggested that men in Africa who are circumcised and have sex with women aren't as likely to get HIV as uncut men.  Scientists aren't yet sure if circumcision would be as helpful in the U.S. or whether it would benefit men who have sex with men.

Nowadays, boys get cut for other reasons. It's an important part of many religions — some people see getting circumcised as a rite of passage to enter manhood or to join the faith. Some parents get baby boys circumcised simply for cosmetic reasons — because they like the look of circumcised penises more than uncircumcised ones, or they want their sons to look like their fathers.

... or Not to Cut?

On the other hand, in countries outside the United States, such as most Asian, European, and South American countries, it's much more common to be uncut than cut — many parents in these places want their sons to look like their uncut fathers, and like other uncut boys.

Also, some people believe that circumcision is an unnecessary, painful, and risky surgery, or even a form of genital mutilation, that can affect a man's sexual pleasure. Others think that circumcision should be a boy's own choice when he gets old enough to decide.

Care Instructions

It's healthy and normal to be cut or uncut, but the two kinds of penises work a little bit differently. In circumcised guys, the glans of the penis is exposed. In uncircumcised guys, the foreskin completely covers the glans. When an uncircumcised guy gets an erection, the foreskin usually retracts, or pulls back. Some uncircumcised guys prefer to keep their foreskins from retracting during sex or sex play because the skin underneath is too sensitive. Every guy is different, so it's important for partners to talk about what makes them feel the most comfortable.

Guys who are uncircumcised need to manually retract the foreskin when they urinate and to clean the skin underneath when they shower. Cleaning under the foreskin prevents the buildup of smegma — a sticky, white substance with an unpleasant smell that's formed by bacteria and oils produced by the body.

Depending on the size of a guy's foreskin, he may also need to retract it when he puts on a condom.

Cutting to the Chase

Whether a boy is circumcised or not is no big deal. Every penis is a little bit different, and being cut or uncut is one of those things that makes every guy unique — there's no "right" way to be. It's important to get comfortable with your body and take care of it, whether you're cut or not!