Generality
The glans is the terminal portion of the penis.
Similar to an acorn, the glans has a smooth surface, covered by a mucocutaneous epithelium, and a soft consistency.
The glans is important for being the seat of the urinary meatus, from which urine and sperm come out, and a dense network of nerve endings, which give it an indispensable sensitivity to the perception of gratifying sexual stimuli aimed at procreation.
The glans can be the subject of dermatitis and inflammation (balanitis and balanoposthitis); moreover, it can bear the clinical signs (generally spots or dots) of various infectious diseases (eg: genital herpes, syphilis, scabies, candida and contagious mollusc).
What is the Glande?
The glans is the most distal portion of the penis .
In other words, the glans is the terminal portion of the male reproductive organ.
The glans is also called the head or tip of the penis .
Meaning of proximal and distal in anatomy
" Proximal " means "closer to the center of the body" or "closer to the point of origin"; " distal ", instead, means "farther from the center of the body" or "farther from the point of origin".
Examples:
- The femur is proximal to the tibia, which is distal to the femur.
- In the femur, the extremity bordering the trunk is the proximal end, while the extremity bordering the knee is the distal end.
Short anatomical review of the penis
In order to fully understand the description of the glans, it is essential to know, at least in broad terms, the anatomy of the penis.
Located at the pelvic level in the pubic area, the penis is the male reproductive organ .
Cylindrical in shape and covered with skin, the penis can be anatomically divided into 3 main portions, which are called: root, rod (or body ) and glans.
Considering only the first two portions of the penis and leaving out the third because the subject of the next steps of this article, the root is the portion that, situated between the pubis and the perineum, acts as the point of origin of the penis as well as the most proximal part of this last; the shaft, on the other hand, is the central portion of the penis, known not so much to separate the root from the glans, but to house the fundamental elements for the erection process: the two cavernous bodies, the spongy body and the cavernous arteries (placed at inside of the corpora cavernosa).
In addition to being the reproductive organ, the penis is also the organ aimed at expelling urine ; in fact, it receives the urethra, that is the last part of the urinary system, inside and throughout its extension.
Origin of the name
The term "glande" comes from the Latin word "glande", which means "acorn".
The glans actually has the appearance of an acorn.
Anatomy
The glans is a dome-shaped structure with a smooth surface and a soft consistency; due to the occupied position, it appears as a sort of expanded hood of the shaft (or body) of the penis.
On the tip of the dome that represents it ideally, the glans houses the urinary meatus, or the external opening of the urethra which is used to expel the urine contained in the bladder and to expel the sperm ; at the base of its conformation, on the other hand, which is substantially the opposite of where the urinary meatus resides, it has an enlarged circular area, called the crown (to be exact the glans crown ), and, immediately before, a groove also circular, called coronal sulcus, which, in addition to emphasizing the enlargement of the crown, acts as a boundary line with the shaft of the penis.
Except in circumcised men, the glans is provided with a flap of skin which, when the penis is not erect, covers it for the whole extension or almost; this strip of skin is the so-called foreskin .
From the histological point of view, on its external surface, the glans exhibits a mucocutaneous epithelium, which is very similar to the epithelium constituting the urethra or anus.
Did you know that ...
The glans in the man is equivalent to the clitoris in the woman.
Glans and Foreskin: some more details about their relationship
THE GLANDE COVERAGE: WHAT IT'S FOR
The foreskin that covers the glans prevents the characteristic mucocutaneous epithelium of the latter from going into corneification, that is to the formation of corneum tissue.
The sense of the lack of corneification of the external surface of the glans is the subject of discussion : according to some studies, the lack of corneification would guarantee a greater sensitivity to the glans, thus favoring the perception of gratifying sensations intended for procreation; according to other researches, instead, the lack of corneification would not bring any real benefit to the glans and its sensitivity (NB: from these researches it emerged that the glans of the circumcised people, that is without foreskin, presents the same sensitivity of the glans of the uncircumcised people, that is with the foreskin).
Foreskin: what is your main function recognized?
The main recognized function of the foreskin is to ensure that the penis has the skin necessary for erection; in passing from flaccid to erect, in fact, the penis needs the skin of the foreskin to support the swelling and the enlargement to which it is subjected.
WHAT GLANDE AND PREPUZIO COMBINES: THE BRAKE PENIENO
Connecting the glans to the foreskin is a thin band of elastic tissue, placed on the lower surface of the penis and called the frenulum of the foreskin of the penis or, more simply, the frenulum of the penis or the frenulum of the penis .
Visible only when the penis is erect, the penis frenum plays a role in the sliding dynamics of the foreskin with respect to the glans and a role in sexual dynamics:
- As regards the first role, the penile frenulum limits the distension of the foreskin, when the penis goes into erection, and allows the correct sliding of the foreskin over the glans, when the penis returns flaccid;
- As for the second role, the penile frenulum is an area rich in nerve endings, which allow man to experience pleasure during sexual intercourse or to feel pain if his penis is subjected to violent maneuvers.
Curiosity: what is circumcision?
Performed under local anesthesia in children and under general anesthesia in adults, circumcision is the total or partial removal of the foreskin ; this means that, at its conclusion, the patient will present a glans completely or only partially discovered also with a flaccid penis.
Appearance and Size of the Glans: a few more details
The appearance and size of the glans vary from man to man : in some males, the glans is proportionate to the size of the penis shaft; in others, it is definitely larger than the shaft, which gives the penis in erection the appearance of a fungus; in others, it is the same diameter as the shaft, which gives the erect penis the shape of a cylinder.
Glande innervation
The glans is rich in sensitive nerve endings, which makes it a highly sensitive structure.
The marked sensitivity of the glans is fundamental for the perception of gratifying sexual feelings aimed at reproduction.
According to numerous studies of neuro-histology, the innervation of the glans is largely due to free nerve endings and only marginally to encapsulated (or corpusculated) nerve endings.
Function
The glans basically covers 3 functions:
- By hosting the urinary meatus, it allows the expulsion of the urine contained in the bladder. The expulsion of urine from the bladder (or urination) is a physiological process of fundamental importance for the human being, as it allows the elimination of waste substances filtered by the kidneys;
- Through the dense network of sensitive nerve endings of which it is supplied, it is at the service of excitement and sexual pleasure ;
- Once again thanks to the urinary meatus, it allows the expulsion of the sperm (ejaculation) at the peak of sexual excitement. It is through ejaculation that man is able to impregnate the woman and thus reproduce.
diseases
The glans can be the subject of dermatitis and inflammation ; moreover, it can bear clinical signs - usually consisting of red spots or dots - of some infectious diseases.
Glans and Dermatitis
In medicine, the word dermatitis indicates a disease of the skin, characterized by inflammatory phenomena.
The causes of glans dermatitis include excessive use of intimate cleansers for penile hygiene and allergies to materials such as the latex of condoms ( contact dermatitis ).
In addition, it should be noted that the glans can bear the signs of atopic dermatitis, a skin disease whose origins there are, according to experts, a combination of different factors.
Did you know that ...
According to some studies, factors such as: genetic predisposition to the disease in question, exposure to certain food and non-food allergens, skin infections, sweating and inhalation of particular irritants, would have an influence on the appearance of atopic dermatitis.
Inflammation of the Glans: the Balanitis
Inflammation of the glans is the most correctly known medical condition known as balanitis .
Balanitis recognizes various causes; in fact, it may depend on:
- Some bacterial, viral or fungal infections;
- Particular deficits of the immune system;
- Sexually transmitted infections known as genital herpes and syphilis .
Sometimes, the balanitis can associate with postitis, that is, inflammation of the foreskin; the association between balanitis and inflammation of the foreskin is called balanopostitis .
Did you know that ...
The causes of balanitis and balanoposthitis are similar.
Infectious diseases that bear marks on the glans
To learn more: Red Spots on the Glans: Aspect, Causes, Associated Symptoms and Therapy »Among the infectious diseases that are characterized by determining spots or dots on the glans (and on the penis more generally), include:
- Genital herpes. Supported by herpes simplex virus 1 or 2 (respectively HSV1 and HSV2), it is a sexually transmitted infection, which causes dots, larger patches and / or widespread redness not only on the penis (and more generally on the penis), but also at scrotum level, pubic area, legs, buttocks, hands and mouth.
As a rule, a healthy person contracts genital herpes when they have unprotected sexual intercourse with a person carrying the infection in question (that's why it is one of the sexually transmitted infections).
- Syphilis. It is the sexually transmitted infection due to the bacterium Treponema pallidum .
In those who develop syphilis, spots and dots on the glans constitute one of the onset symptoms of infection and possess a characteristic name: syphilomas.
- The scabies . It is the skin infestation due to the mite Sarcoptes scabiei hominis .
Scabies is a highly contagious infection, whose symptoms and signs can be found above all on the flexor surfaces and folds of the skin, in other words on anatomical areas such as the elbows, wrists, hands, genitals or abdomen .
- The candida . It is the infection supported by the fungus Candida albicans .
Candida in man is responsible for cutaneous manifestations at the level of the glans and, sometimes, also at the level of the mouth (where it can also affect the mucous membranes).
For a man to develop candida, the defenses used by the body, to control the proliferation of Candida albicans, must cease.
- The contagious mollusk . It is an infection of the skin and mucous membranes, which recognizes in a virus of the poxvirus family (DNA virus) its triggering cause.
The contagious mollusc is extremely contagious, but, fortunately, has a benign evolution.
The contagious mollusk causes symptoms not only on the glans but also on the penis more generally and in other parts of the body.
