Do you want a bigger penis? In one large survey a few years ago, about 45% of men said they did. And you can buy plenty of over-the-counter and even medical treatments that promise a larger penis. But do any of them really work?
Some of the things men use to try to increase penis size include:
- Vacuum penis pumps
- Penis weights
- Penis stretching exercises, called jelqing
- Supplements
- Creams
- Surgery
The truth is that these treatments tend to have modest, if any, results, experts say. And most don’t do anything at all to increase penis size.
But some techniques, including weight loss, may improve your penis’s appearance or your confidence in bed, says Petar Bajic, MD, a urologist and head of the Men’s Health Center in the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic.
How can you figure out what might help and what’s a sham? Talk to your doctor before you try any Penis Enlargement Pump device or treatment.
Many men still feel uncomfortable talking to their doctor about this issue, but they should seek advice from someone experienced in this area,” Bajic says. “People will do all sorts of things to try to make their penis larger.”
Most likely, your penis isn’t really too small, experts say.
Men who want larger penises may have a poor body image, low self-esteem, or even a condition called body dysmorphia, says Michael O’Leary, MD, a professor of urologic surgery at Harvard Medical School and a urologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
What’s ‘Average’ Size?
People often believe myths about the “average” or “normal” length of a penis.
“Many men don’t have a realistic idea of what a normal size penis is, and we live in a society where pornography is pervasive. Some people believe that it’s normal to have a 12-inch penis,” says O’Leary. “The average erect penis is between 5 and 6 inches long, and flaccid (not erect), between 4 and 5 inches long.”
Some men may think they need a larger penis to satisfy their partners, but that’s likely not the case. About 85% of women in an internet survey of 52,000 heterosexual people said they were satisfied by the size of their partner’s penis.
When men see Bajic to discuss Penis Enlargement Pump options, he starts the discussion by making clear what “normal” means.
“Societal perceptions of what is a smaller-than-normal penis aren’t true,” he says. “There are a wide variety of factors that may drive some men to feel that their genitalia just doesn’t look as it should, including what they see in popular culture.”
Bajic notes that satisfying hetero sex, for most women, “doesn’t begin with male penetration and end with male orgasm. Sometimes, through talking it out, many men that I treat realize that they have other body image issues and that their expectations about penis size are out of line,” he says.
A few men do have medical conditions that result in a smaller-than-average penis:
“Societal perceptions of what is a smaller-than-normal penis aren’t true,” he says. “There are a wide variety of factors that may drive some men to feel that their genitalia just doesn’t look as it should, including what they see in popular culture.”
Bajic notes that satisfying hetero sex, for most women, “doesn’t begin with male penetration and end with male orgasm. Sometimes, through talking it out, many men that I treat realize that they have other body image issues and that their expectations about penis size are out of line,” he says.
A few men do have medical conditions that result in a smaller-than-average penis:
Is Surgery the Right Move?
Some surgical techniques change the appearance of your penis. That includes a procedure, recently approved by the FDA, called the pre-formed penile silicone block (Penuma).
It’s not available everywhere yet, says O’Leary, who has done the surgery and says he’s been happy with the results. It’s a cosmetic procedure, so it isn’t covered by medical insurance, he says.
“It is a silicone implant, a silicone sleeve about two-thirds the length of the penis, which is implanted under the skin to make the penis thicker,” he says. But studies show there’s not as much impact on penis length.
