The Frenar band (or ridged band) is a group of soft ridges near the junction of the inner and outer foreskin.
The Frenar band of the foreskin typically extends, or "puckers" past the tip of the glans. It is the primary erogenous zone of the intact male body. The band has a high density of Meissner's corpuscles and is the most sensitive part of the intact foreskin.
A key function of the band is to keep the foreskin forward, protecting the glans when the penis is flaccid. When the penis becomes erect, the band expands, allowing the foreskin to slide over the glans. Unfortunately, the frenar band is removed during even a minimal circumcision and cannot be restored.
John R. Taylor, a Canadian pathologist and medical researcher, used the phrase "ridged band" in an anatomical and histological study of the foreskin published in the British Journal of Urology in 1996.
References:
- Wikipedia: Ridged Band
- Instructional website maintained by Taylor
- Taylor, JR; Lockwood AP; Taylor AJ (February 1996). "The prepuce: Specialized mucosa of the penis and its loss to circumcision". British Journal of Urology 77 (2): 291–295.(Reprint: cirp.org) (html version)
- The Ridged Band of the Human Prepuce
