Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 May 2;60(5):758.
doi: 10.3390/medicina60050758.

Techniques for Penile Augmentation Surgery: A Systematic Review of Surgical Outcomes, Complications, and Quality of Life

Ugo Giovanni Falagario  1   2 , Federico Piramide  3 , Karl H Pang  4 , Emil Durukan  5 , Lazaros Tzelves  6 , Anna Ricapito  2 , Loic Baekelandt  7 , Enrico Checcucci  8 , Diego M Carrion  9   10 , Carlo Bettocchi  2 , Francesco Esperto  11
Affiliations

Techniques for Penile Augmentation Surgery: A Systematic Review of Surgical Outcomes, Complications, and Quality of Life

Ugo Giovanni Falagario et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

The increase in practices related to enhancing penile size can be attributed to the belief that an improved genital appearance contributes to a man's virility, coupled with an altered self-perception of his body. It is crucial to tailor interventions to meet the genuine needs of patients by thoroughly assessing their history, psychological state, and potential surgical benefits, all while considering the associated risks of complications. This systematic review aims to summarize the available evidence on outcomes, complications, and quality of life after penile augmentation surgery, examining both minimally invasive and more radical techniques. A search of the PubMed and Scopus databases, focusing on English-language papers published in the last 15 years, was performed in December 2023. Papers discussing surgery in animal models and case reports were excluded from the present study unless further evaluated in a follow-up case series. The primary outcomes were changes in penile dimensions, specifically in terms of length and girth, as well as the incidence of surgical complications and the impact on quality of life. A total of 1670 articles were retrieved from the search and 46 were included for analysis. Procedures for penile length perceived enhancements include lipoplasty, skin reconstruction plasty, V-Y and Z plasty, flap reconstruction, scrotoplasty, ventral phalloplasty, and suspensory ligament release; techniques for increasing corporal penile length include penile disassembly, total phalloplasty, and sliding elongation. Finally, penile girth enhancement may be performed using soft tissue fillers, grafting procedures, biodegradable scaffolds, and Penuma®. In conclusion, while penile augmentation surgeries offer potential solutions for individuals concerned about genital size, the risks and complexities need to be accounted for.

Keywords: penile augmentation; penile enlargement; surgical techniques.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) flow chart. * Search performed on PubMed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sharp G., Fernando A.N., Kyron M., Oates J., McEvoy P. Motivations and Psychological Characteristics of Men Seeking Penile Girth Augmentation. Aesthetic Surg. J. 2022;42:1305–1315. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjac112. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Falcone M., Preto M., Cocci A., Garaffa G. Strategies and current practices for penile lengthening in severe Peyronie’s disease cases: A systematic review. Int. J. Impot. Res. 2020;32:52–63. doi: 10.1038/s41443-019-0189-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hehemann M.C., Towe M., Huynh L.M., El-Khatib F.M., Yafi F.A. Penile Girth Enlargement Strategies: What’s the Evidence? Sex. Med. Rev. 2019;7:535–547. doi: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2018.11.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Marra G., Drury A., Tran L., Veale D., Muir G.H. Systematic Review of Surgical and Nonsurgical Interventions in Normal Men Complaining of Small Penis Size. Sex. Med. Rev. 2020;8:158–180. doi: 10.1016/j.sxmr.2019.01.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Littara A., Melone R., Morales-Medina J.C., Iannitti T., Palmieri B. Cosmetic penile enhancement surgery: A 3-year single-centre retrospective clinical evaluation of 355 cases. Sci. Rep. 2019;9:6323. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-41652-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types