“Dick cheese” is a slang term for smegma, a whitish, cheese-like substance that builds up under the foreskin of the penis. It’s a combination of oils, dead skin cells, sweat, and other bodily fluids that accumulate in the warm, moist space between the foreskin and the head of the penis. While the nickname is crude, smegma itself is a normal biological byproduct. It only becomes a problem when it’s allowed to build up due to infrequent or inadequate cleaning.
What Smegma Actually Is
Your skin constantly sheds dead cells and produces natural oils. In most areas of the body, these substances fall away or get washed off easily. Under the foreskin, though, they have nowhere to go. The foreskin creates a warm, enclosed environment where oils, dead skin, and sweat collect and combine into a soft, whitish or yellowish substance with a thick, paste-like texture. When it sits for a while, it develops a noticeable odor.
Smegma can occur in anyone, but it most commonly appears in uncircumcised males because the foreskin traps these substances against the head of the penis. Women can also develop smegma around the clitoral hood, which has a similar skin-fold structure. In both cases, the cause is the same: natural secretions accumulating in a covered area.
Why It Builds Up
The primary cause is simply not cleaning under the foreskin regularly. Since the foreskin covers the glans, the area doesn’t get the same passive rinsing that exposed skin gets during a shower. If you don’t deliberately pull back the foreskin and clean underneath, oils and dead cells accumulate day after day. Hot weather, exercise, and anything that increases sweating can speed the process up.
Some people find it harder to clean under the foreskin because it’s naturally tight or difficult to retract. This condition, called phimosis, makes proper hygiene more challenging and can lead to more significant buildup over time.
When It Becomes a Health Problem
A small amount of smegma is harmless and completely normal. Chronic buildup, however, can cause real issues. The most common complication is balanitis, an inflammation of the head of the penis. Symptoms of balanitis include redness, swelling, pain, itching, and a white, cheesy discharge under the foreskin. Poor hygiene is the most common trigger in uncircumcised males.
Left untreated, balanitis can lead to lasting inflammation that causes scarring. That scarring can make the foreskin progressively tighter, creating a cycle where cleaning becomes even harder, which leads to more buildup and more inflammation. Over the long term, adults with persistent phimosis from this kind of chronic irritation have a higher risk of developing penile cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. The cancer risk isn’t from smegma itself but from the ongoing inflammation and irritation that result from poor hygiene and a foreskin that can’t be retracted.
How to Clean It Properly
Prevention is straightforward. Gently wash your penis each day, pulling back the foreskin and rinsing the area underneath with warm water. You can use a mild soap, but too much soap can irritate the sensitive skin of the glans. Don’t scrub the area. After washing, gently pat the tip of the penis and the area under the foreskin dry before letting the foreskin slide back into place. If you notice a lot of buildup or a strong smell, increase how often you wash.
That’s really all it takes. Daily cleaning during a normal shower prevents smegma from accumulating enough to cause odor, irritation, or any of the complications described above.
Smegma in Infants and Children
Parents of uncircumcised babies sometimes notice white, pearl-like lumps or a thick whitish substance under their child’s foreskin. This is normal smegma, and it’s not a sign of infection or poor hygiene. In infants, the foreskin is naturally attached to the head of the penis and cannot be pulled back. Forcing it to retract before it separates on its own can cause severe pain, bleeding, and skin tears.
The foreskin separates gradually over time, and the timeline varies from child to child. Until it does, you simply clean the outside of the penis. Once the foreskin retracts easily on its own, you can gently rinse smegma away with warm water or wipe it off with a warm, damp washcloth. The American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that foreskin retraction should never be forced.