Where does natural lube come from?

[perspective]

When we speak of the intact penis we mention how it is not dried out. We also say in sex that there is a "natural lube" which is no present in circumcised males. My question is what is this natural lube.

I had someone say to me that the lube thing is a myth, and all there is only "sweat and pre-ejaculate" getting "trapped" under the foreskin.

I know for a fact that intact guys do not use store bought lube as much, so what is going on here?

[NaturalMindedMomma]

Um I was always under the impression the foreskin acted as a lubricant? When mixed with the female lubrication it moves especially easily. It moves easily by itself anyway. Maybe I am totally wrong on that.

[Picturesque]

I think that because the penis stays moist it contributes some to the lubrication. But I also think that there is less need for lubrication because the penis is moving within the foreskin and not chafing the partner. Also, the intact penis is not removing lube with each withdrawal.

[latinalonestar]

The foreskin itself acts as a gliding mechanism for masturbation. A man can simply hold the foreskin and glide it back and forth, thus no lube is needed.

As for the natural lube during intercourse, I think they are referring to the natural moist skin of the intact male. The skin itself is moist and the foreskin rolling back and forth keeps all the pre-ejaculate from drying off as the man withdraws away from the woman. The foreskin pulls forward entrapping the fluids as the man pulls outward. A circumcised man will lose all this natural lube when he pulls out away from the woman because there is nothing to hold it in.

[Dave2GA]

The foreskin keeps the glans naturally moist. In an adult there can be, but is not always, a buildup of dead cells and cellular transudate, which contains lysosome, which has anti-bacterial properties, and langerin, which has anti-viral properties, unless the foreskin is pulled back and the glans and inner foreskin rinsed with water occasionally. During sexual intercourse most men's foreskins stay back and are locked in place behind the glans, thus acting like a piston ring to keep vaginal fluid in. Circumcision removes the foreskin, allows the glans to dry out, and then the rim of the glans pulls vaginal fluid out of the vaginal. Hope this explanation helps.

[perspective]

Ok, I know all this, I guess I am not stating this correctly. I understand how the foreskin works in sex, and I understand the foreskin it keeps the penis moist and provides lubrication.

My question is what exactly is this lubrication, and when we talk about the intact penis being moist, what is that?

As I said before I had someone say to me that the lube thing is a myth, and all there is only "sweat and pre-ejaculate" getting "trapped" under the foreskin.

As if the penis is not moist and its only because the foreskin traps "bad things" that it is "lubricated". I am trying to explain to this person why they are wrong.

[Fellow Traveler]

Perspective, I don't know yet the precise answer to your question but I'll speculate a bit. The inner layer of the foreskin is mucosal tissue like the lining of the mouth or nose to name some others. Both of those stay very moist in different ways because that is how mucosal tissue is supposed to work. It's a first line of defense against pathogens. The foreskin stays moist for similar reasons but I don't know the specific mechanism (sorry). There is a discussion of the structure of the foreskin by Dr John Taylor (I think the first name is John) but the papers can be found on CIRP. I know he did an anatomical analysis but I can't recall the detail (sorry). Hope that gets you in the right direction though. Oh and I know that the foreskin helps distribute and maintain the precum too which is also part of the story, but not the whole story.

[LoveChild421]

Originally Posted by MyBoysBlue

At **************************

Top Ten Ways Circumcised Sex Harms Women #2

They explain how the forskin holds in the moisture and the circed penis pulls it out. The forskin itself doesn't have any lubricating properties.

Lube is still sometimes needed with an intact man as the lubrication is produced by the women. So she can still need lube but it won't dry out as quickly.

exactly. That's a great site for learning more about the physiology of how the foreskin affects the sexual experience for both men and women.

[thixle]

Originally Posted by jwhispers

Perspective, I don't know yet the precise answer to your question but I'll speculate a bit. The inner layer of the foreskin is mucosal tissue like the lining of the mouth or nose to name some others. Both of those stay very moist in different ways because that is how mucosal tissue is supposed to work. It's a first line of defense against pathogens. The foreskin stays moist for similar reasons but I don't know the specific mechanism (sorry)

yup- similar to asking "but why are my inner cheeks moist?" I don't know the mechanics either, but it is mucousal tissue that excretes some form of mucous/lubricant. Don't know if it even has a name, lol. But not nasal mucous (snot) or saliva (spit). Wonder if it has a name? Clear as mud?

ETA- papilla- I saw a pic with papilla (pupilla?) labled around the sulcus. That would be my bet where whatever-liquid is excreted.

[robertandenith]

Since the inner part of the foreskin is just like the inner part of the lips and lids of the eyes, it will stay 'lubricated' the same way.

[tlh]

I always thought that it came from the sebaceous glands on the inner foreskin and the Tysons glands on either side of the frenulum.I do not know how they work but maybe they are activated by the estrogen receptors of the foreskin.

[AXEius]

my first thought when you asked the question was that you were talking about the gliding action, that is probably the biggest contributor the foreksin has in creating "lube". but you ruled that our, and precum. The only thing i think you could be talking about is the MOISTNESS of the the glans of inner foreskin. This is created from the inner foreskin and glans being mucous membranes. The way i understand it (i would look it up but i'm already later for work) is that a mucous membrane is thin enough to allow moisture from the cells to actually leak out to the surface so that the epithelium stays moist. To stay that way the membrane has to be protected from evaporation by being covered or by secreting mucous. The genitals of men and women also produce smegma which acts to further retain moisture and acts almost as a lotion on lanolin. This is the only thing i think you could be talking about, its not really lube in itself but acts to moisturize and keep soft the contacting parts of the genitals. I hope i answered you question

[georgia]

Hi! We are in the process of revising TCAC's Guidelines to be in keeping with MDC's policy on hosting sexual discussion as outlined in our User Agreement:

Discussions of a sexual nature should be within the realm of topics inherent to Mothering discussions such as sex after delivery, sex and the family bed, etc.

Questions of this nature would best be addressed in a setting where the topic is common and appropriate to their site's core purpose to educate and inform adults about sexual needs and activities.

Here is a link to the current online resources thread, which may be of assistance

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