Penis enlargement, or male enhancement, is any technique aimed to increase the size of a human penis. Some methods aim to increase total length, others the shaft's girth, and yet others the glans and foreskin size. [1] Techniques include surgery, supplements, ointments, patches, and physical methods like pumping, jelqing, and traction. [1]
Surgical penis enlargement methods can be effective; however, such methods carry risks of complications and are not medically indicated except in cases involving a micropenis. Non-invasive methods have received little scientific study, and most lack scientific evidence of effectiveness. [1] However, limited scientific evidence supports some elongation by prolonged traction. [1] [2] Some quack products may improve penis erection, mistaken by consumers for penis enlargement.
There are several surgical penis enlargement treatments, most of which carry a risk of significant complications. [3] Procedures by unlicensed surgeons can lead to serious complications. [4]
Surgical penis enlargement methods include penile augmentation and suspensory ligament release. Penile augmentation involves injecting fat cells into the penis or grafting fat cells onto the penis. Injecting fat cells into the penis can cause swelling and deformity; in some instances, removal of the penis may be necessary. Grafting fat cells onto the penis can be effective; however, the increase in size may disappear over time. Suspensory ligament release increases flaccid penis length, but does not increase the length of an erect penis [5] and can create problems with sexual function. [6]
The American Urological Association (AUA) and the Urology Care Foundation "consider subcutaneous fat injection for increasing penile girth to be a procedure which has not been shown to be safe or efficacious. The AUA also considers the division of the suspensory ligament of the penis for increasing penile length in adults to be a procedure which has not been shown to be safe or efficacious." [7] Both statements were first published in January 1994 and re-affirmed ever since. [7] Complications from penis enlargement procedures include scarring that may lead, ultimately, to penis shrinkage or erectile dysfunction. [8] [9]
Other surgical treatments include the injection of dermal fillers, silicone gel, or PMMA. [10] [11] Dermal fillers are also not approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the penis. [12] Injectables such as hyaluronic acid and polyactic acid have shown some limited efficacy, however the Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA) "strongly recommends against" permanent fillers such as paraffins and silicone. [13]
Because of great risk and uncertainty, medical professionals are generally skeptical of penile enlargement and avoid attempting it. [9] [14] A 2019 study in Sexual Medicine Reviews found that surgical methods of penis enlargement are typically ineffective and can be damaging to both physical and mental health. [15] The authors found that such treatments are "'supported by scant, low-quality evidence... Injectables and surgery should remain a last option, considered unethical outside of clinical trials'". [16] According to the study, "'overall treatment outcomes were poor, with low satisfaction rates and significant risk of major complications, including penile deformity, shortening, and erectile dysfunction'". [15]
Medical doctors do treat micropenis with surgical procedures. [6] In such cases, surgery can improve urinary or sexual function. [17]
Penis-enlargement pills, patches, and ointments are sold online. Such products are generally considered ineffective. [18]
Physical techniques involve extension devices, hanging weights, and vacuum pressure. There is also significant overlap between techniques intended to enlarge the penis and techniques intended to achieve other, related objectives, such as reversing impotence, extending the duration of erections, or enhancing sexual climax.
Commonly called a "penis pump", a vacuum erection device, or VED, creates negative pressure that expands and thereby draws blood into the penis. [19] [20] Medically approved VEDs, which treat erectile dysfunction, limit maximum pressure, whereas the pumps commonly bought by consumers seeking penis enlargement can reach dangerous pressure, damaging penis tissue. [21] To retain tumescence after breaking the device's airtight seal, one must constrict the penis' base, but constriction worn over 30 minutes can permanently damage the penis and cause erectile dysfunction. [22] Although vacuum therapy can treat erectile dysfunction sufficiently to prevent penis deterioration and shrinkage, [20] clinical trials have not found it effective for penis enlargement. [23] [24]
The latinized name "jelqing" is the corrupt form derived from the Persian jalq zadan (جلق زدن), jalq meaning "to masturbate" followed by an auxiliary verb zadan meaning "to strike, hit or throb". Performed on the halfway tumescent penis, jelqing is a manual manipulation of simultaneous squeezing and stroking the shaft from base to corona. [1] Also called "milking", [25] the technique has ancient Arab origins. [1] [26] Despite many anecdotal reports of success, medical evidence is absent. [1] [27] Journalists have dismissed the method as biologically implausible, [28] or even impossible. Some clinicians caution against the routine use of jelqing techniques, including excessive or aggressive manipulations of the penis, due to concerns of potential fibrosis and plaque formation. [1] Jelqing may increase the risk of developing hard flaccid syndrome, a condition characterized by a flaccid penis that remains in a firm, semi-rigid state in the absence of sexual arousal. [29] [30]
Traction is a nonsurgical method to lengthen the penis by employing devices that pull at the glans of the penis for extended periods of time. As of 2013, the majority of research investigating the use of penile traction focuses on treating the curvature and shrinkage of the penis as a result of Peyronie's disease, although some literature exists on the effects on men with short penises. [31]
Scientific evidence supports some elongation by prolonged traction. [2] There are also medical studies that indicate that the lengthening effects can be negligible. [32]
Some doctors say that most men seeking penis enlargement have normal-sized penises, and many may experience penile dysmorphophobia by underestimating their own penis size while overestimating the average penis size. [17]
Products purported to enlarge one's penis were frequently promoted via spam email in the late 1990s and early 2000s. [33] In 2003, a log file from an e-commerce site used by one such spammer was accidentally exposed on the public Internet. It showed that they received around 6,000 orders for their herbal supplement product "Pinacle" [ sic ] in a period of four weeks, with most orders being for $100 worth of product. The US Federal Trade Commission said at the time that "there is no proof the pills work as advertised". [34]
In 2013 in Vietnam, many Vietnamese men attempted to enlarge their penises by injecting liquid silicone into them. They were hospitalized for complications such as infections, necrosis, tumors, swelling, deformities, and sexual dysfunction. [35]
Erectile dysfunction (ED), also referred to as impotence, is a form of sexual dysfunction in males characterized by the persistent or recurring inability to achieve or maintain a penile erection with sufficient rigidity and duration for satisfactory sexual activity. It is the most common sexual problem in males and can cause psychological distress due to its impact on self-image and sexual relationships.
Peyronie's disease is a connective tissue disorder involving the growth of fibrous plaques in the soft tissue of the penis. Specifically, scar tissue forms in the tunica albuginea, the thick sheath of tissue surrounding the corpora cavernosa, causing pain, abnormal curvature, erectile dysfunction, indentation, loss of girth and shortening.
Penile fracture is rupture of one or both of the tunica albuginea, the fibrous coverings that envelop the penis's corpora cavernosa. It is caused by rapid blunt force to an erect penis, usually during vaginal intercourse, or aggressive masturbation. It sometimes also involves partial or complete rupture of the urethra or injury to the dorsal nerves, veins and arteries.
Phalloplasty is the construction or reconstruction of a penis or the artificial modification of the penis by surgery. The term is also occasionally used to refer to penis enlargement.
Metoidioplasty, metaoidioplasty, or metaidoioplasty is a female-to-male gender-affirming surgery.
Gender-affirming surgery for female-to-male transgender people includes a variety of surgical procedures that alter anatomical traits to provide physical traits more comfortable to the trans man's male identity and functioning.
Gender-affirming surgery for male-to-female transgender women or transfeminine non-binary people describes a variety of surgical procedures that alter the body to provide physical traits more comfortable and affirming to an individual's gender identity and overall functioning.
Breast augmentation and augmentation mammoplasty is a cosmetic surgery procedure, which uses breast-implants and/ or fat-graft mammoplasty technique to increase the size, change the shape, and alter the texture of the breasts. Although in some cases augmentation mammoplasty is applied to correct congenital defects of the breasts and the chest wall in other cases it is performed purely for cosmetic reasons.
Scrotoplasty, also known as oscheoplasty, is a type of surgery to create or repair the scrotum. Scientific research for male genital plastic surgery such as scrotoplasty began to develop in the early 1900s. The development of testicular implants began in 1940 made from materials outside of what is used today. Today, testicular implants are created from saline or gel filled silicone rubber. There are a variety of reasons why scrotoplasty is done. Some transgender men and intersex or non-binary people who were assigned female at birth may choose to have this surgery to create a scrotum, as part of their transition. Other reasons for this procedure include addressing issues with the scrotum due to birth defects, aging, or medical conditions such as infection. For newborn males with penoscrotal defects such as webbed penis, a condition in which the penile shaft is attached to the scrotum, scrotoplasty can be performed to restore normal appearance and function. For older male adults, the scrotum may extend with age. Scrotoplasty or scrotal lift can be performed to remove the loose, excess skin. Scrotoplasty can also be performed for males who undergo infection, necrosis, traumatic injury of the scrotum.
Clitoral enlargement methods are forms of body modification that have the potential to increase the size of the clitoris and enhance sexual pleasure. Clitoral enlargement can be accomplished through a variety of means, each potentially having certain side effects and risks.
A penile implant is an implanted device intended for the treatment of erectile dysfunction, Peyronie's disease, ischemic priapism, deformity and any traumatic injury of the penis, and for phalloplasty or metoidioplasty, including in gender-affirming surgery. Men also opt for penile implants for aesthetic purposes. Men's satisfaction and sexual function is influenced by discomfort over genital size which leads to seek surgical and non-surgical solutions for penis alteration. Although there are many distinct types of implants, most fall into one of two categories: malleable and inflatable transplants.
Urethroplasty is the surgical repair of an injury or defect within the walls of the urethra. Trauma, iatrogenic injury and infections are the most common causes of urethral injury/defect requiring repair. Urethroplasty is regarded as the gold standard treatment for urethral strictures and offers better outcomes in terms of recurrence rates than dilatations and urethrotomies. It is probably the only useful modality of treatment for long and complex strictures though recurrence rates are higher for this difficult treatment group.
An erection is a physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular, and endocrine factors, and is often associated with sexual arousal, sexual attraction or libido, although erections can also be spontaneous. The shape, angle, and direction of an erection vary considerably between humans.
Human penis size varies on a number of measures, including length and circumference when flaccid and erect. Besides the natural variability of human penises in general, there are factors that lead to minor variations in a particular male, such as the level of arousal, time of day, ambient temperature, anxiety level, physical activity, and frequency of sexual activity. Compared to other primates, including large examples such as the gorilla, the human penis is thickest, both in absolute terms and relative to the rest of the body. Most human penis growth occurs in two stages: the first between infancy and the age of five; and then between about one year after the onset of puberty and, at the latest, approximately 17 years of age.
Penile artery shunt syndrome (PASS) is an iatrogenic clinical phenomenon first described by Tariq Hakky, Christopher Yang, Jonathan Pavlinec, Kamal Massis, and Rafael Carrion within the Sexual Medicine Program in the Department of Urology, at the University of South Florida, and Ricardo Munarriz, of Boston University School of Medicine Department of Urology in 2013. It may be a cause of refractory erectile dysfunction in patients who have undergone penile revascularization surgery.
Penile ultrasonography is medical ultrasonography of the penis. Ultrasound is an excellent method for the study of the penis, such as indicated in trauma, priapism, erectile dysfunction or suspected Peyronie's disease.
Culley Clyde Carson III is an American retired urologist who specializes in Peyronie's disease, penile implants and erectile dysfunction. After serving two years as a flight surgeon with the United States Air Force, he took on a urology residency at the Mayo Clinic and then taught at the Duke University Medical Center as an assistant professor, subsequently gaining full professorship.
Zephyr Surgical Implants (ZSI) is a Swiss-based medical device manufacturer that produces and distributes artificial urinary sphincters and penile implants worldwide. ZSI products are used in the management of moderate-to-severe urinary incontinence in men, erectile dysfunction, Peyronie's disease, penis enlargement, and female-to-male gender reassignment surgery.
A penis extender is an external medical device with tentative evidence as of 2019 for Peyronie's disease. It acts as a mechanical, traction device that stretches the human penis in the flaccid state to make it longer.
Glans insufficiency syndrome, also known as soft glans, cold glans, or glans insufficiency, is a medical condition that affects male individuals. This condition is characterized by the persistent inability of the glans penis to achieve and maintain an erect or turgid state during sexual arousal, remaining soft and cold. This condition can have an impact on a person's sexual function, including decreased sensitivity, difficulty in maintaining an erection, and overall quality of life.