What is penoplasty?
Penoplasty, orphalloplasty, is a surgical procedure that involves enlarging and lengthening the penis. It improves the penis’s appearance without the use of implants or visible scarring. Penis size can affect men’s sexual performance, which can lead to insecurities in both their sexual and social lives (such as feeling comfortable in group settings, for example, in a gym locker room or while wearing a swimsuit, etc.).
When penis size is unsatisfactory, a phalloplasty may be considered. Perceptions of size often vary from one man to another. When the penis is flaccid (at rest), it measures an average of 10 centimeters in length and 9 centimeters in circumference. When erect, the penis reaches an average of 15 centimeters in length and 12 centimeters in circumference.
Desires to increase penis size must remain realistic.Dr. Delobauxtakes the patient’s true motivations and expectations into account to prevent the patient from being disappointed once the final result is achieved. It is very important to have a serious, realistic reason that clearly demonstrates the candidate’s commitment.
Who are good candidates for cosmetic penoplasty?
Contrary to popular belief, penoplasty is no longer a taboo subject. This procedure helps restore confidence, and men are increasingly interested in learning about the techniques and results.
The ideal candidate for cosmetic penoplasty should have the following characteristics:
- A clear understanding of the patient's psychology;
- Discomfort during intimate relations: insufficient length or girth, excessive retraction of the penis when flaccid;
- Social Anxiety: The "Locker Room Syndrome," the "Swimsuit Complex"
- Complexes related to the physical deformity: difficulties in professional life, trouble forming relationships, feelings of inferiority, a sense of impending failure;
- The request can only be approved after a thorough clinical examination to determine the various characteristics of the penis.
Contraindications:
There are contraindications, particularly regarding general anesthesia. This entire issue will be discussed with the surgeon, Dr. Alexis Delobaux, before the procedure. As with any medical procedure, penoplasty carries certain risks, which may result in the development of small lumps in some cases.
In practice, candidates for penoplasty are required to have a clearly realistic motivation.
Excessive focus on the penis, which masks psychological issues, requires treatment by a psychotherapist.
What should you do if you experience functional problems?
Erectile dysfunction must be treated seriously alongside any other medical intervention and therefore constitutes only a temporary contraindication.
Nevertheless, severe cases of dysmorphophobia are genuine contraindications, as this is a psychiatric condition that does not require surgical intervention at all. In most cases, “small penis syndrome or the locker-room complex cannot be considered psychological disorders, except by practitioners who are unaware of the very nature of these patients’ suffering.”
The best proof is the satisfaction and improved well-being of the men who have undergone this surgery at Dr. Delobaux’s practice.
In summary, when a candidate for penoplasty suffers from erectile dysfunction, we do not immediately recommend penoplasty for enlargement. His case must be thoroughly evaluated beforehand before any course of action is considered.
The Penoplasty Procedure
The surgical procedure can be performed under local or general anesthesia on an outpatient basis and takes between thirty and forty-five minutes.
Penile lengthening surgery should be combined with penile thickening. This procedure will increase the diameter of the penis, both when flaccid and erect.
The weight of the fat injected into the penis helps increase the thickness of the skin tissue. Patients tend to prefer thickening alone, since the procedure is less invasive. However, both procedures can be performed at the same time.
Penile Thickening Surgery
Enlargement is achieved using the technique of
Lipofillinginvolves reinjecting the patient’s own fat extracted from the abdomen, pubic area, inner or outer thighs, or buttocks. These areas are rich in fat cells that are not easily affected by weight fluctuations and promote better long-term survival of the fat graft.
Dr. Delobaux performs the fat tissue harvest—without prior infiltration—using a suction cannula with a foam tip attached to a syringe to extract between 40 and 80 cm³ of fat. The fat is then transferred directly without decanting or centrifugation.
Fat is injected into the groove separating the glans from the shaft of the penis (the balano-preputial groove). The surgeon evenly distributes the fat throughout the penis, using small amounts—averaging 0.5 cm³—up to the base of the penis at its pubic angle.
Similarly, hyaluronic acid can be an alternative to fat injections. The procedure is quicker and the volumizing effect is more immediate than with lipofilling, but the results are temporary, and the injections must be repeated approximately every 18 months.
Penile Lengthening Surgery
Advances in genital plastic surgery have enabled thousands of men to increase the size of their penises while lengthening them. This has led to the emergence of penoplasty. It is a surgical procedure that involves partial division of the suspensory ligament connecting the penis to the pubic bone. It does not cause any noticeable changes to the penis when erect.
To perform this procedure, Dr. Delobaux—the leading plastic surgeon in Bordeaux and a specialist in penoplasty—begins by making a pubic incision a few centimeters long, then partially or completely severs the suspensory ligament of the penis (the ligament connecting the penis to the pubic bone). This procedure exposes a segment of the internal penis while increasing its length by 2 to 4 cm. It is therefore important to note that this lengthening is only visible when the penis is flaccid and does not significantly affect the size of the penis when erect.
What are the typical postoperative effects of penoplasty?
The medical team inserts a drain in the surgical area, which is removed the same evening or the day after the procedure. Hospitalization usually lasts only one day (outpatient procedure): You may be discharged the same evening. In some cases, you may need to stay overnight at the clinic if you live alone, for monitoring after general anesthesia. The sutures are absorbable.
Postoperative symptoms are very mild:
- Urination resumes immediately.
- Sexual intercourse is permitted only after 30 to 45 days.
- Sports activities can resume 15 days after the procedure, provided you wear briefs.
- Generally speaking, during the first few weeks or months following the procedure, the following typically occur:
- Swelling of the penis, which goes away on its own within a few days.
- Bruises, which fade within a maximum of 21 days.
- You may experience pain at the surgical site, but this pain is significantly reduced by the routine use of local anesthesia.
- The recovery period is between 2 and 5 days. The results are immediately visible. However, the final results are achieved within 3 months, after the swelling has completely subsided.
The Results
One year after phalloplasty surgery, the penis gains approximately 2 to 4 cm in length and 2 to 3 cm in girth. The penis retains its natural appearance and sensitivity. The patient experiences no pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse.
Penile thickening: Observed at rest and during erection
While the length of the penis remains unchanged over time, additional fat injection sessions are often necessary to achieve the desired increase in girth. In fact, after one session, the penis gains 2 to 3 cm in girth. This increase in size may continue and reach 3 to 5 cm after 3 sessions. Patients are often informed of this progression so they can anticipate the final result and avoid disappointment after the first injection. The thickening is gradual and is visible both at rest and during an erection.
Penis Elongation: Results Are Observed Only When the Penis Is Flaccid
The surgical procedure does not alter the length of the corpora cavernosa, which are involved in erections.
The Cost of Phalloplasty
The price depends on the type of procedure, the anesthesia, and the length of the hospital stay.
For a thickening procedure alone, the price starts at 3,000 euros, excluding clinic and anesthesia fees.
Conversely, when the procedure involves both lengthening and thickening, the fee is set at 5,500 euros.
