Bigger penis promises: True claims or false advertising?

Dear Ancient Wonders, Reader #2, Mike J., and Penis size worried,

A quick review of how a penis is put together may clear up much of the confusion regarding penis enlargement. Enclosed in a case of skin, the penis is made of nerves, blood vessels, fibrous tissue, smooth muscle, and three cylindrical bodies of spongy tissue that fill with blood when a man has an erection. There is no bone, and there is some skeletal muscle at the base of the penis. Books and web sites advocate exercises practiced "since ancient times" to lengthen the penis. These exercises are exoticizations of basic masturbation techniques used by boys and men the world over that have no effect on penis size. "Jelq" is portrayed as an "Arabian" technique involving either wrapping the index finger and thumb around the base of the penis and pulling up, or just pinching the penis with the index finger and thumb and pulling up. "Jojido" is an "exotic Japanese" technique similar to Jelq. "Hyperestimiology" appears to be a made-up word and doesn't exist. However, these exercises all operate on the premise that the penis is a muscle that can be toned and buffed similar to your biceps. But, for better or worse, the smooth muscle of the penis cannot be exercised. So, work out all you please, just don't expect anything bigger at the end of the month.

Penis pumps were developed to help men who have trouble getting and keeping erections. These erection devices are plastic cylinders that are placed on a penis, helping men get erections by drawing blood into the penis. This temporary effect is produced by means of a vacuum created by pumping air out of the device. When a satisfactory erection results, the cylinder is removed after placing a specially designed rubber band, or tourniquet, at the base of the penis. This holds the blood in the penis and keeps it erect during sex. (The constrictor band should not be kept in place for longer than 20 minutes.) Penis pumps do not permanently increase penis size. To increase the size of a penis, you would need to increase the quantity of tissue, something no amount of vacuuming, rubbing inspired by ancient wisdom, or hypnotic suggestion will do.

Using weights is popularly talked about as a purported penile lengthening technique, especially for men who've had penile enlargement surgery. The premise is that the weights stretch the tunica albuginea, the membrane surrounding the erectile chambers of the penis. It is the elasticity and overall size of the tunica albuginea that determines the length and the width of the penis. Hanging weights from the penis, however, has not been confirmed to be effective.

There is controversy surrounding penile enlargement surgery. Some see this surgery as similar to breast enlargement surgery, in that the body change contributes to a person's self-esteem. However, the surgical techniques, although available, are not well researched or defined at this point. The American Board of Urology, the only certifying board of urologists in the United States, has no official stance or statement on surgical penis enlargement.

Surgical techniques have included fat injections and tissue grafts. These, however, can leave large scars from where the skin is grafted. Furthermore, injecting fat can result in a lumpy penis, since fat is reabsorbed into the body. There are also techniques involving cutting the ligaments that attach the penis to the pubic bone. This often results in an erection that points downward, due to the loss of the penis's anchor to the pubic bone. Nerves can be cut and damaged during surgery as well.

Penile enlargement surgery is a very new procedure, performed routinely only by a few individuals, with repair work often done by other surgeons. It is still an investigational/experimental technique without reliable results. If you are seriously thinking about surgery, be sure to discuss the surgical techniques, the possible adverse effects and complications, your concerns, and expected results and cost (since this procedure would not be covered by insurance) with a surgeon (a qualified, trained, board-certified surgeon — e.g., urologist — who specializes in surgical penile enlargement). Carefully consider these factors before proceeding with this surgery, if at all.

Maybe the state of penile enlargement surgery will change in the future. In the meantime, perhaps you can learn to "love the one you're with."

Judging from the nonstop stream of size questions and comments that arrive like sports scores on CNN, getting to a place where your penis's length and width don't diminish your self-esteem, self-confidence, and sex life is clearly easier said than done. Below are some past Q&As that may help you and others get closer to a penile peace of mind.