Measuring Up: The Truth About Penile Augmentation

Millions of men around the globe confront concerns about penis size.

The average size of a man's erect penis is anywhere from 5.5 to 6 inches in length. Some men, however, suffer from an unfortunate condition described by the medical term "micopenis", (shouldn't it at least be a really long word?) a condition in which a man's penis is less than 3 inches when erect. Micropenis is typically caused by hormone abnormalities, such as genetic disorders or simple hormone deficiencies (either in sex or growth hormones).

Length

The demand for a longer and wider penis has led surgeons to devise operations to enhance both. Penis lengthening is, by far, the most popular of the two procedures and is accomplished by detaching the fundiform ligament and the suspensory ligament from the pubic bone. As one-third to one-half of the penis is held internally by these ligaments, when they are detached, the penis does lengthen about 20 to 30 millimeters (0.78 to 1.18 inches) on average. Scarring, however, could cause the penis to shorten to a length even shorter than before the surgery, which has led surgeons to the use of penile traction devices (mentioned below) to maintain the results. According to Nim Christopher, a urologist at St. Peter's Andrology Center in London, among men who have had the surgery, "the dissatisfaction rate was in excess of 70 percent."

Girth

Adding girth to the penis is also possible. Typically, girth enhancement involves injection of silicone, PMMA, or AlloDerm (cadaver flesh) into the penis. Although girth enhancement procedures are far more effective than lengthening procedures, they also come at higher risks, including: loss of sensation, scarring and inability to perform penetrative intercourse.

In 2006, the journal of European Urology reported a new, more effective technique in penile girth augmentation using biodegradable scaffolding. Once the scaffolding dissolves, their is no foreign material around the penis. 81% percent of men undergoing the scaffolding technique claimed they were either satisfied with the procedure scoring it "excellent" or "very good".

Pills, Pumps and Patches

There are lots of possible "solutions" on the market available to men wanting penis enlargement. Some of these include pills, typically composed of herbal compounds - a method of enhancement that a majority of doctors scoff at as not only being ineffective, but potentially dangerous. A study performed by the University of Maryland found an unusual amount of contamination in popular penis enhancement pills, ranging from molds, spores, E Coli, pesticides, lead and fecal matter. Patches, devices which attempt to deliver the same herbal materials into the bloodstream, are subject to the same contaminations and may be an even greater waste of money due to the fact that there is no conclusive evidence that any of the substances in question can be absorbed this way.

Another method which is far more effective, but perhaps even more dangerous, is the use of a "penis pump". A penis pump device creates a vacuum seal around the penis and draws excess blood into the tissues causing a rise in blood pressure to the area. This causes the penis to become engorged and stiffen. The device can be paired with a "cock ring" which also increases blood pressure in the area and helps to maintain erection. Use of these devices can cause substantial and painful injuries, like burst blood vessels, blisters, damage to pubic ligaments and there have been reports of the device pulling in testicles and causing pain and tissue damage. Add that to the fact that any gain in girth or length is temporary (usually lasting only a few minutes after the pump is removed), penis pumping is typically not recommended by urologists.

Penile Traction Devices

The body is remarkably elastic and certain tribes of humans have been modifying their bodies using outside pressures for centuries. Tribes in Africa have been attaching weights to the penis and/or testicles to cause growth and ear stretching has seen a recent rediscovery in modern cultures. Making use of the bodies ability to stretch and heal, some manufacturers claim that a device called a penis traction device or "penis stretcher" can give a man a longer, wider penis with extended use.

Despite their comparison to ancient traction methods of bodily tissue growth, penis stretchers are relatively new to the world of penile enhancement science - they may also be the most promising, non-surgical method. Originally designed to treat Peyronies disease (a severe curvature of the penis), penis stretchers claim to cause micro-cellular fractures (tiny rips in cell tissues) which cause the tissue to divide, grow and expand. Most manufacturers claim that with steady use (anywhere from 6 to 8 hours per day for a period of three months to a year) the stretcher can add one to three inches to the penis permanently.

Although this method is controversial, it is also the most recommended by many urologist as being the safest non-surgical method with the most scientific possibility of actually being effective. Traction growth has been applied and successfully utilized for many medical procedures like bone lengthening and tissue grow for skin grafting . Many doctors do warn consumers, however, that they should not become over-zealous in their stretching, less they cause irreversible damage.