Penis Enlargement

There are surgical as well as non-surgical treatments to increase the size of the penis (Credit: Blurasis)

A man’s sexual organ is often linked to his manhood. If a man has a small penis then it can lead to a lot of psychological problems – avoidance of sexual relationships, inferiority complex, and anxiety.

There are surgical as well as non-surgical treatments to increase the size of the penis. Non-surgical techniques used for penis enlargement are vacuum ‘developers’; weights attached to the penis to stretch it; magnetic or electrical devices to stimulate the growth of the penis; hormone therapy, that includes testosterone or relates sex hormones; and, remedies that contain herbs.

The surgical option to increase the size of the penis is a penile-lengthening surgery. Men opt for penile-lengthening if they have any congenital abnormality; to rectify any abnormality caused by penile cancer; or trauma.

 Penile lengthening is carried out by cutting the suspensory ligament of the penis and then cosmetic surgery is carried out to provide additional skin to cover its new length. Studies indicate that dividing the suspensory ligament alone results in an average increase of 0.5 cm in length, while skin advancement increases the length to 1.6 cm. Though, once the suspensory ligament is divided, the support provided by the ligament during erection, is no longer there.

The thickness of the penis can be increased through two techniques. One of the techniques includes injecting fat that has been liposuctioned from the abdominal wall or thighs, into the dartos fascia, under the skin of the penile shaft.

Another technique to increase the thickness of the penis includes placing grafts of dermis, a layer of tissue from under the skin surface that is supplied with blood vessels, and fat from the groin or buttocks within the penile shaft.

The cons of penile lengthening include scrotalisation of the penis, in which the penis appears to arise from the scrotum instead of the abdominal wall. ‘Dog ears’ can also format each end of the scar. The skin used to increase penile length has a poor blood supply and dies, leaving a deep, ulcerated area.

The complications associated with surgical techniques used to increase the thickness of the penis include loss of girth due to fat re-absorption; and nodule formation, if implanted fat does not disappear uniformly.

If you’re not keen on having surgery to increase the length or thickness of the penis, then you can consult a sexual and relationship therapist who might be able to offer help and advice.