Smegma

This article is about smegma, a secretion of mammalian genitals. See Vernix caseosa for the substance that covers the skin of a baby at birth.

Smegma, a transliteration of the Greek word σμήγμα for soap, is a combination of exfoliated (shed) epithelial cells, transudated skin oils, moisture, and bacteria that can accumulate under the foreskin of males and within the female vulva area, with a characteristic strong odor and taste. Smegma is common to all mammals, male and female. Mycobacterium smegmatis is the characteristic bacterium involved in smegma production, and is generally thought to form smegma from epidermal secretions.

Mammalian Smegma

In healthy animals, smegma helps clean and lubricate the genitals. In veterinary medicine, analysis of this smegma is sometimes used for detection of urinary infections, such as trichomoniasis. Some have recommended periodic cleaning of male genitals to improve the health of the animal.^*

Human Smegma

Both males and females produce smegma. Since smegma can accumulate under the foreskin in males, its presence is less common and noticeable in circumcised males. This has caused the argument over whether circumcisions ought to be performed to impact the related argument over whether smegma is beneficial or harmful. The lack of smegma has been described as a benefit of circumcision. In contrast, lack of smegma could contribute to the loss of subpreputial wetness consisting of natural skin oils, leading to drying or chafing of the glans in circumcised men. Smegma can be removed by wiping or washing the genital area.

The subpreputial moisture keeps the glans moist and may lubricate the movement of the foreskin. However, if allowed to accumulate and decay in the foreskin cavity, it can combine with shed skin cells, providing an ideal medium for potentially pathogenic bacteria to colonisecurrent medical opinion is that allowing smegma to accumulate freely is unhealthy. Accumulation of smegma can cause or aggravate a variety of irritations known as balanitis. Early medical studies such as those by Plaut, and penile cancer, but more recent studies have disagreed [http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_2X_What_are_the_risk_factors_for_penile_cancer_35.asp" target="_blank" >^*.

Uncircumcised men with poor personal or excessive hygiene are most affected by balanitis. Lack of aeration and irritation because of smegma and discharge surrounding the glans penis causes inflammation and edema. Adherence of the foreskin to the inflamed and edematous glans penis is one cause of phimosis ^*.

Preventing accumulation is best done by rinsing the area with warm water. In females, the hood of the clitoris can be gently pulled back to wash away smegma. Some argue that soap is best avoided because it depletes natural skin oils and may cause non-specific dermatitis In addition, vaginal deodorants that are sometimes used to combat unwanted odors can be harmful, as they tend to upset the normal balance of bacteria in the vaginal cavity. This can in turn upset the pH of the vagina [http://www.bradfordhospitals.nhs.uk/didsh/stds.asp. Noticeably unpleasant odours can be an indicator of a potentially serious medical problem, and deodorant sprays or washes may hide this condition.

Smegma Fetishism

Smegma fetishism is rare but there is a small subculture, mainly within BDSM, where the dominant partner allows smegma to build up in the foreskin. This is done for the sole purpose of making a submissive partner clean the foreskin using their tongue or other body parts. Doctors have said this practice is inadvisable but not particuarly dangerous.

Smegma in popular culture

The word "smegma" is one of the most popular words searched for on the World Wide Web. According to a report of the DICT development group ^*, which runs dictionary servers on the Internet, in a several-month period in which over 3 million requests for definitions of words were submitted to their servers, of 100,000 words requested and found in their dictionaries, "smegma" was number 180 in frequency or popularity, i.e. it was in the upper one-fifth of one percent in popularity.
"Smegma" is one of relatively few words in the English language that have this "__gma" structure: others are magma, bregma, stigma, zeugma, pragma, sigma, enigma, and dogma. It is also one of the few English words referring to aspects of human genitalia that are ultimately of Greek rather than Latin form and origin.
One Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch featured a character called "Mrs. B. J. Smegma".
On their comedy album How Can You Be in Two Places at Once When You're Not Anywhere at All, The Firesign Theatre referred to immigrants who came "from little towns with strange names like Smegma, Spasmodic, Frog, and the far-flung Isles of Langerhans".
There is an experimental music group called "Smegma" that has recorded and performed from 1976 through the present day.
There is a satire musical group called "Mega Smegma" based in Tampa, FL that has recorded and released two CDs.
"Smegma Doodle Dandy" is also an experimental artist that has been recording music since 2002. He is also a returning panelist on the prerecorded internet radio show "PoliDicks".
In Red Dwarf, a popular British sci-fi sitcom, a common insult/adjective used was "smeg", apparently derived from smegma, although the creators Grant Naylor claim this is merely a coincidence. The etymology of the slang term "smeg" (outside of Red Dwarf) has been directly traced back to the scientific term "smegma".
Richard Cheese of "Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine", a jazz/lounge cover group, also refers in slang to "smegma" in his pseudonym—"Richard Cheese" can be shortened to "dick cheese".
In The Bad Art Collection by Jhonen Vasquez, an intermediary panel, presumably from the POV of the author, reads "Can't you see I'm sick?! Help me!! I'm not really happy!! My mind is turning into smegma!"
In the English language, slang terms for smegma tend to focus on its alleged resemblance (and similar smell) to a dairy product, hence helmet-dale, bell-end brie, organzola, dick cheese, penis butter, knobcheese, cottage shaft cheese, dick butter, shaft yogurt, bell cheese, bell cheddar, man cheese and helmet cheese. This association is echoed in the German slang words Pimmelkäse and Nillekäs (or Nillekehs), whilst in the Philippines, the term kupal is used, and the Japanese say chinko shigoto; the literal translation being dick job.
In the 1981 film "The Road Warrior"(aka "Mad Max 2"), starring Mel Gibson, the "Smegma Crazies" are one part of the "Humungus's" army. (Another part is called the "Gayboy Berserkers").

References

O'Neill HJ, Gershbein LL. Lipids of human and equine smegma. Oncology 1976;33(4):161-6.

American Cancer Society

Effects of hygiene among the uncircumcised Krueger H, Osborn L. J Fam Pract. 1986 Apr;22(4):353-5.

The bacterial flora of preputial space Neubert U, Lentze I. Hautarzt. 1979 Mar;30(3):149-53.

External links

Wright J. How smegma serves the penis: Nature's assurance that the uncircumcised glans penis will function smoothly is provided by smegma. Sexology (New York) 1970;37(2):50-53. URL: http://www.cirp.org/library/normal/wright1/

Parkash S, Jeyakumar K, Subramanya K, et al. Human subpreputial collection: its nature and formation. J Urol 1973;110(2):211-12. URL: http://www.cirp.org/library/anatomy/parkash/

Images of Smegma

Images of human male smegma on male genitals: ^*^*^*^*

Exocrine system | Circumcision debate | Female reproductive system | Male reproductive system