Penis enlargement surgery is a group of procedures that includes changes in length and girth. It may also include treatment of a buried penis, also known as a hidden penis. Some men may have a web with the scrotum that can make the penis appear smaller. Each of these issues has a unique treatment plan. They may be performed in one session, or separately. I always create a surgical plan that is unique to each patient’s needs.
My approach in these blogs is to discuss surgery for penis length and girth enlargement first, since these are the most common requests that I get. Penis length surgery involves release of the ligaments that attach the penis to the pubic bone. This surgery has evolved in the more than 25 years that I have been performing it. Initially, we thought that additional skin needed to be released to add length to the penis. However, the skin will stretch over time to the new length. The surgery requires a skin incision horizontally where the penis meets the pubic area.
This leaves a scar that is well concealed for most men and is approximately 2 inches or 5 cm in length. Releasing the ligaments allows the penis that is attached to the pubic bone to move forward. On average, it creates approximately an inch, or 2.5 cm, more of visible flaccid, not erect, penis. The largest postoperative increase that I’ve ever seen is 2 inches in flaccid length. Men always ask about increases in erect length. Although there is no data, some men report that they are longer when erect, while others say they are not.
I always tell patients that if their goal is only to increase their erect length, then they should not have surgery to avoid being disappointed.
More important is the fact that men who have ligament release surgery will need to wear a device to keep the penis from scarring back to the bone. The most common device used in practice is a weighted condom. It’s easy to use and must be worn for 6 hours a day for 6 months after surgery to modify the scar that forms internally where the ligament was released. After 6 months, there’s no more scar formation and is no longer needed.
Men often ask if I put a spacer of silicone in the space where I cut the ligament. In my experience, spacers can cause a variety of problems. I’ve removed spacers from many patients that were placed by other surgeons. The spacers migrate, causing discomfort and are of no help in maintaining the penis length. The next blog will address discuss penis girth enhancement.