The Male Health Center - Augmentation for Men

Phallus Fallacy?

Some men are willing to risk surgery for no good reason.
There's no doubt about it—men worry about the size of their penis, and no amount of reasoning seems to change that—not the fact that most are about the same size (6 inches), not the fact that locker-room differences tend to disappear with erection, and not the fact that most women don't care how big it is anyway. A little fretting doesn't do much harm, but some guys get so concerned that they're willing to seek a drastic solution—cosmetic surgery.

In the 90s, a number of surgeries started to be done for cosmetic purposes. There was an initial flurry of interest and numerous ads in newspapers around the country. I then went to a meeting of the American Urological Association, where I learned that one California doctor had done 2,000 of these operations in two years! Here’s what else I learned about penile augmentation.

At most, a man can expect to gain about an inch in length, but in many instances, there is no gain at all. Similar increases in circumference are achieved by injecting fat, but the gain may disappear over time. Rates of minor complications push 20 percent, including infection and loss of skin (especially in men who aren't circumcised), and when skin is pulled up onto the shaft of the penis, shaving the penis may become a regular ordeal.

I came away from the meeting with a few other significant impressions. First, the penises I saw in photos of men prior to the surgery looked about average to me. And remember, as a urologist I see a lot of penises, and as a Texan ... well, I won't go into that. Second, neither of the doctors who are doing these operations require routine psychological counseling beforehand. Third, although both stressed the importance of follow-up, one of the them advertises around the country and has men fly in for the surgery and leave right after.

The Society for the Study of Impotence did a study on penile augmentation. The results really showed no significant benefits. Now in the new century, you may have noticed the number of ads has dramatically fallen off, and very few of the procedures are being done. There is not much evidence that it really works!

Before you consider penile augmentation, please talk to a counselor about what you're feeling. You might learn that you don't have to measure up to anyone else's yardstick. Then carefully weigh the potential benefits against the risks. If you do decide to go ahead, find a physician who has done lots of these operations. There's a significant learning curve, and this is nothing to leave to a beginner.

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