Erogenous zone

An erogenous zone is an area of the human body that has heightened sensitivity, the stimulation of which would normally result in sexual arousal. There is individual variation in sensitive areas, but the majority of men and women have common erogenous zones, especially the penis in men and clitoris in women.

Classification

Erogenous zones are either nonspecific or specific.

Nonspecific

The skin is similar to normal haired skin and has the normal high density of nerves and hair follicles. These areas include the sides and back of the neck, the inner arms, the axillae (armpits) and sides of the thorax. An exaggerated tickle and anticipatory response are responsible for the heightened sensual response.

Specific

These areas produce stronger sensation and include the genitals, including prepuce, penis, clitoris, vulva and perianal skin, scrotum, lips, and nipple. The rete ridges of the epithelium are well formed and more of the nerves are close to the external surface of the skin than in normal haired skin.

Pubic Area

Female

The clitoris is an erogenous zone on a woman. It has the densest concentration of nerve endings of any part of the skin.

Located past the clitoris, just above and on either side of the urethral opening is sensitive erectile tissue known as the Skene's gland, or U-Spot.

Within the vaginal canal there is a patch of ribbed rough tissue along the anterior of the canal. It has a texture that is described as similar to the palate (the roof of a mouth) or a raspberry. It may feel spongy when a woman is aroused. This is the Gräfenberg spot, or G-spot.

At the deepest point on the anterior (front) wall of the vagina located between the cervix and the bladder is the Anterior fornix erogenous zone, or A-Spot. It is described as having a wrinkly texture similar to the tip of the nose.

Other areas known to be orgasmic for some women include the rectouterine pouch, accessible through both the back of the posterior wall of the vagina and the anterior wall of the anus, the perineal sponge, accessible though the perineum and the anterior wall of the anus, several inches in, and the uterus, which, when stimulated, can result in a uterine orgasm.

Male

The penis is the most sensitive erogenous zone in the male body. In particular, the natural glans (head) and frenulum (foreskin) are highly sensitive and may elicit strong sensations from the slightest touch or movement. The ridged band, theorized by John R. Taylor, is believed to be a sensitive part of the penis as well.

The skin of the scrotum (testicles) is very sensitive to light touching and stroking, causing a pleasurable sensation; the scrotum may also be quite ticklish.

Males can also be aroused by light stroking and touching of the perineum (the area between the scrotum and the anus). The prostate gland is a male erogenous zone that may be stimulated through firm pressure on the back of the perineum or through the anus. Applying pressure to the perineum just before ejaculation can heighten the intensity of orgasm, although this causes retrograde ejaculation and the pressure is sometimes harmful to the pudendal nerve and other anatomical structures in the area.

The foreskin, which carries the ridged band and lower frenular delta, has mucocutaneous end-organs extending from the distal margin to the point where hairy skin starts.[1] The thin dermis and minimal subcutaneous tissue results in closely set nerve networks. Vater-Pacini corpuscles are present. The mucocutaneous end-organs are formed after birth, with few in newborn infants and many well-organized endings in adults. Winkelmann suggests that the prepuce is a "specific erogenous zone."[2]

Head

Mouth

Kissing and the usage of tongue.

Neck

The neck and clavicle area is a very sensitive region. Licking, kissing or caressing in this area is sexually arousing to many people. Additionally the back of the neck is very sensitive to arousal by lightly caressing. Some people also like biting and "hickeys" are most often found here. A hickey is a bruise where all the blood from broken blood vessels have been pulled to the surface through sucking and biting causing a purple/red colored spot to appear.

Ears

Licking and sucking gently on earlobes is arousing to many people. Also, whispering or breathing softly in one's ear can also be very pleasurable.

Torso

Chest

The areola and nipple contain Golgi-Mazzoni, Vater-Pacini and genital corpuscles. No Meissner's corpuscles and few organized nerve endings are present. There are concentrations of nerve tissue in the area of ducts and masses of smooth muscle. The hair surrounding the areola adds additional sensory tissue. The mass of smooth muscle and glandular-duct tissue in the nipple and areola block the development of normal dermal nerve networks which are present in other erogenous regions and the development of special end organs. Indeed, the entire breast has a network of nerve endings, and they have the same number of nerve endings no matter how large they are. Accordingly, smaller breasts are more sensitive while larger breasts can be stimulated (e.g. fondled, bitten, sucked) more forcefully. Intense stimulation of a woman's nipples may result in a surge in the production of oxytocin and prolactin which could have a significant effect on her genitals. Placing a face in between the cleavage and kissing the breasts also increases sexual pleasure in most women.

Stomach

Many people find stimulation (kissing, biting, scratching, tickling, caressing) of the stomach pleasurable, especially close to the pubic region. It can cause strong arousal in men and women, in some even stronger than stimulation of the genitals.

Arms

Especially in women, the skin of the arms, and especially the softer skin of the inner arms and across the creased mid-arm bend covering the dorsal side of the elbow, are highly sensitive to manual or lingual stimulation. Light stroking with fingers or tongue, more vigorous kneading, and butterfly kissing can initiate arousal and, in some cases, induce clitoral/vaginal orgasm or penile ejaculation without direct contact with the latter areas. The mid-arm bend is especially sensitive due to the thinner skin found there, which makes nerve endings more accessible. Arm sensitivity may be reduced or concentrated to a more narrow range by excessive muscularity or obesity on the one hand, or transformed to uncomfortable tenderness by excessive thinness on the other.

Armpits

Researchers have discovered that women adjust their menstrual cycles when exposed to the scent of a male underarm.

Some consider armpits be an erogenous zone. If pheromones exist for humans, they would likely be secreted by a mixture of liquid from the sebaceous glands with other organic compounds in the body. George Preti, an organic chemist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and Winnefred Cutler of the University of Pennsylvania's psychology department, discovered that women with irregular menstrual cycles became regular when exposed to male underarm extracts. They hypothesized that the only explanation was that underarms contain pheromones as there was no other explanation for the effects, which mirrored how pheromone affects other mammals.

Fingers

The fingertips have many nerves and are responsive to very light touches, like the brushing of a tongue or light fingernail or teeth stroking. The sides are somewhat less sensitive and more ticklish. Both light and firmer touches work well at the junction of the fingers.

Feet & Toes

Due to the concentration of nerve endings in the sole and digits of the human foot, the sensations produced by sucking or licking the feet can be pleasurable. Similarly, massaging the sole of the foot produces similar nervous stimulation.

See also

• Foreplay
• Orgasm
• Human sexuality
• Sexual intercourse

External links

• Erogenous Zones: Their Nerve Supply and Significance, Winkelmann RK, Mayo Clin Proc 1959;34(2):39-47