Myths About A Man's Length

A frequent complaint that urologists hear is that “my penis is too small.” The truth, in most of those cases, is that the penis in question is perfectly normal and average in size. The expectations, however, are running a bit large.

Paolo Gontero, an associate urology professor at the University of Turin, did a review of the research associated with five evidence-based penis-lengthening surgical studies covering 121 men and six evidence-based non-surgical studies covering 109 men. The average age of the men included in the studies ranged from 24 to 56 and the average follow-up ranged from three to 16 months.

Gontero's key takeaway is that doctors should encourage men who request penile lengthening surgery to try non-invasive methods first. And in many cases, men should avoid any kind of physical procedure and look into therapy to help them feel more positive about their body. (These men may suffer from dysmorphophobia, a psychological dislike of their body.)

Among the men who underwent surgical techniques to lengthen their penis, the average flaccid size increased between 1.3cm and 2.5cm. One report mentioned a highly invasive surgical procedure that achieved up to 4cm, but the authors could find no reports to suggest this has been reproduced by others. Gontero makes a point of contrasting these results with those who used three types of non-invasive penile extenders and enjoyed average flaccid increases of 0.5cm to 2.3cm. A total of 72 men used the penile extenders. Six reported minor problems, with three experiencing bruising and one each reporting temporary discoloration, pain and itching.

The most common surgical technique, used on 83 percent of the patients surveyed, was dissection of the suspensory ligament. This procedure was carried out on men with underdeveloped penises, Peyronie's disease, very small penises (micropenis), penile carcinoma or trauma.

Nineteen men with an erect penis length of 6 to 10cm received the invasive surgery that involved penile disassembly with autologous cartilage and five of those experienced moderate dorsal penile curvature after surgery. Gontero foresees a high complication and dissatisfaction rate with this surgical technique.

One study showed that botox may have a temporary effect in decreasing penile retraction and improving flaccid length, and another indicatedthat penoscrotal rings could help augment penile size and maintain erections in men suffering from anxiety if combined with an Perectile dysfunction drug.

As for those “vacuum pumps” you've read about in the back pages of your favorite men's magazine, the studies have shown no significant physical change after six months of therapy. That's the bad news. The even worse news is that two of the 37 men experienced side effects, with one haematoma and one case of numbness recorded.

"No studies have been carried out to compare surgical and non-invasive methods of penile lengthening" says Professor Gontero. "However our review suggests that penile extenders represent an effective and durable method of penile lengthening, capable of elongating the penis by an average of 1.8cm with minimal side effects. This compares favorably with surgery, which is much more invasive for the patient.

"Cognitive behavioral therapy can also be useful in building men's confidence if they have body image issues."

The review of the studies was published in BJU Interational.