The Penis
The penis has two main parts, the head and the shaft. The head and rim are much more sensitive than the shaft. Normally a man's penis is soft and hangs down. However when he gets an erection it fills with blood causing it to become stiffer, longer, wider and making it stick outwards and upwards from the body. The penis has no bones or muscles in it.
When will my penis grow?
When you go through puberty the first thing you might notice is that your testes get bigger, and the scrotum skin looks darker and redder. At about the same time your penis will begin to get bigger. At first it will become longer then after about a year a bit thicker.
Your private parts will begin to change around the age of 11 or 12, however some young men will begin to develop as young as 8 or 9, whereas others may be later at 16 or 17. Everyone is different.
About 6 months after your testes grow, you may find pubic hair starts to develop around the base of the penis. At first these will be fine and over a few months it will get darker and wirier, spreading over the whole pubic area. Eventually is will grow upwards in the middle towards your belly and may stretch round behind your testes towards your bottom and anus.
How big should it be?
One of the most common questions young men ask is how big their penis should be. Most fully-grown penises measure between 5 and 7 inches in length when fully erect. The average circumference – measuring around the fattest part of the penis – is between 4 and 5 inches. However penises are very unpredictable. One that is quite big when limp or flaccid might not grow that much when erect. Others can look quite small but grow much larger on erection. It is important to remember a lot of men exaggerate about their penis size and porn films usually feature men with larger than normal genitals.
What shape should it be?
Some penises are long and thin and others are short and fat. All penises should point upwards when they get hard, although some may curve either up, down or left or right. Your penis should not get sore when it hardens.
Foreskin
The foreskin is the skin that covers the head of the penis. When you get an erection this skin stretches and exposes the head.
Circumcision
Another thing that changes the look of a penis is whether or not it is circumcised. An uncircumcised penis has a sleeve of skin (called foreskin) over it, which protects the head and gives it a pointed look when it is soft.
Circumcision is an operation, which removes the foreskin, so it appears rounder because the head is exposed. Although circumcised and uncircumcised penises look different when limp, when they become erect it is difficult to tell them apart. This is because the foreskin is pushed back when an uncircumcised penis is erect.
Circumcision is usually carried out at a very young age as a religious custom. Occasionally they are carried out for health reasons. Jews, Muslims and some African tribes circumcise baby boys. Some people believe circumcised penises to be cleaner, but this is not necessarily the case.
Smegma is a soft, white liquid, which is produced by tiny glands inside the foreskin. If this is not cleaned it collects under the foreskin, making it smell cheesy and can eventually lead to infection. However, as long as you remember to pull back your foreskin and clean yourself regularly, this should not be a cause for concern.
Testes and Scrotum
There are a lot of names used to describe the testes including testicles, bollocks, nuts, nads and balls Most men have two balls, although you can function perfectly well with just one. The testes hang outside the body in a bag of skin called the scrotum, which lies just behind the penis. Although they should be about the same size and weight you usually find that one ball hangs lower than to other. This stops them from bumping against each other.
The scrotum hands outside the body to keep it cool. It is usually darker in colour than the rest of your skin, and is hairy. When it's cold the scrotum wrinkles up, but when warm the balls hang loose and the scrotum has a smooth surface. Balls are very sensitive and it's important to protect them, especially when playing sport.
Examining Yourself
It's important to check on a regular basis to make sure your balls are healthy. You can find more information on how to do this in the Well Man section of the website.
Keeping your bits clean
Both going to the toilet and the build up of smegma can make your penis smell. Try the following to keep your bits clean and healthy:
- Before you pee slide your foreskin back so that urine doesn't collect inside of it.
- Have a bath or shower every day making sure you slide your foreskin back so you can wash underneath and around the head of the penis.
- After cleaning, dry the end of your penis and foreskin carefully.
- Then pull the foreskin over the head again.
