By Lizzy Bliss
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a man that wouldn’t say yes to adding an extra centimetre or three to his manhood, regardless of their current size.
But why do men have this obsession with penis size, when almost every woman you ask will tell you that massive penises are massively overrated?
It could quite possibly be because of the unrealistic standard set by male pornstars, who are specifically selected for their huge endowment. This is the standard by which men judge themselves, and it’s a badly skewed standard.
The average man can, therefore, be forgiven for thinking that he might be on the small side.
South African men are ranked number 6 in the world for average penis size (well done, guys), while the official title goes to the gentlemen of the DRC. What is important to mention, though, is that most men who think that they have a small penis actually have a normal-sized penis.
Many studies have been done on the subject, and the results have been consistent. An average penis is anywhere between 13 and 16cm in length when erect, so if you fall in this category, you have a completely average-sized penis.
With that being said, some men do suffer from a medical condition called micropenis.
This condition is diagnosed when a fully grown man’s penis measures under 7.5cm when erect, and it only affects about 0.015% of the male population globally.
If you’re still adamant about increasing the size of your manhood, these are your options:
Surgery
First, it’s really expensive, and your medical aid won’t cover it. There’s also not a single medical organisation that will endorse penis surgery for cosmetic reasons only, unlike breast augmentation.
The most commonly used surgical procedure to lengthen the penis involves cutting through the ligament that attaches the penis to the pubic bone. This makes the penis appear longer because it hangs lower down, but severely compromises the stability of the penis.
Another procedure involves injecting fat into the penis shaft to add girth, but this can lead to penile curvature, and there’s a good chance the fat will be reabsorbed into the body. Also, all these procedures are still considered experimental.
They have given mixed results, with many men ending up with an irregular-shaped penis, infections, or the inability to maintain an erection. It doesn’t sound like the juice is worth the squeeze.
Jelqing
Jelqing (also called penis stretching or milking) involves using a hand-over-hand motion to move blood to the head of the penis while erect to stretch it. Some men also resort to attaching a penis stretcher or penile traction device to their penis, which doesn’t sound like a lot of fun, but each to his own.
Although there’s little evidence that these techniques actually work, there are anecdotal claims that they are in fact effective, with some men reporting an increase in size of up to 2cm over some time.
Much more research is needed in this area to establish the safety and effectiveness of these techniques, however.
Penis pumps
Penis or vacuum pumps usually consist of a tube that fits over the penis that allows the user to pump air or water out of the tube to create a vacuum. The increased blood flow caused by the vacuum works wonders for a man’s erection, and this has been a proven method to treat erectile dysfunction.
But, there is no concrete evidence that this method permanently increases the size of a penis. Most men who use penis pumps do, however, claim that their erections get stronger with regular use.
Pills and potions
While there is no denying that there are nutrients that promote penis health, most of these pills and potions only contain vitamins, minerals or hormones. The production of these remedies is also not regulated, so they can just as easily be harmful to your health.
A better option would be to work on your overall health and blood circulation to help you reach and maintain a strong erection. They won’t make your penis bigger though, despite what you read on dodgy websites and public dustbins.
Penis transplants
History was made in 2014 in South-Africa when a doctor performed the first successful penis transplant on a 21-year-old man after he lost his penis from gangrene after a circumcision ritual. Chris Barnard would have been proud.
There were also rumours that a Taiwanese millionaire had a 30cm penis transplanted from an anonymous African donor in 2017, but this has since been proven to be a hoax.
While the technology exists to perform these types of surgeries, don’t get your hopes up just yet as the procedure is still experimental and has only been done twice since 2014.
The fact is that most men who yearn for a bigger penis fall well within the normal penis size range and anyone genuinely concerned about the size of their penis is probably better off speaking to a sex therapist or doctor.
* Please consult your doctor before attempting any of these options.
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