Many men may wish that they had a bigger penis, even if their penis is normal in size. Penile augmentation procedures are aimed at increasing penis length or girth.

At this time, these procedures are considered experimental because they are not approved by medical governing bodies and there is not enough data to consider them safe and effective treatment options. What’s more, many of these procedures carry risks, some of which can be serious.

Several different procedures have been proposed for penile augmentation including:

• Vacuum therapy
• Traction therapy
• Injection therapies
  • Autologous fat injections
  • Silicone injections
  • Soft tissue fillers: hyaluronic acid, PMMA microspheres
• Surgical procedures
  • Procedures using tissue grafts and flaps
  • Ligamentolysis: cutting the suspensory ligament that attaches the penis to the pubic bone to make the flaccid penis appear longer.
• Insertion of a silicone implant

According to the American Urological Association (AUA), almost none of these proposed penile enlargement methods work. Furthermore, the AUA does not consider injection therapies or surgical penile enlargement procedures to be safe.

Vacuum therapy and traction therapy, on the other hand, may be safe and beneficial for patients to use for other urologic conditions such as Peyronie’s disease (PD) or erectile dysfunction (ED), but are ineffective for penile enlargement.

There are many possible negative side effects of experimental penile augmentation procedures. Although these side effects vary greatly from person to person, one may experience:

• Penile bruising
• Severe scarring
• Buildup of fat in abnormal places
• Infection or gangrene (dead tissues caused by infection or lack of blood)
• Swelling
• Changes in the shape of the penis
• Decreased penile sensation
• Penile deformity
• Nodules under the skin
• Pain with erections
• ED
• Penile shortening

Currently, the AUA emphasizes that penile augmentation should only be considered for those who have micropenis, or a penis of less than 7.5 centimeters stretched. Men with normal-sized penises who still feel that they are too small may suffer from penile dysmorphic disorder, which is better treated through psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and in some cases, antidepressants.

References:

• Johnson, J. (2023, January 10). Penis enlargement surgery: Does it work and is it worth it? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/penis-enlargement-surgery
  
  
• Vardi, Y., Harshai, Y., Gil, T., & Gruenwald, I. (2008). A critical analysis of penile enhancement procedures for patients with normal penile size: surgical techniques, success, and complications. European urology, 54(5), 1042-1050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2008.07.080