An online newsweek article reports that penile enlargement procedures have grown tremendously in the past five years.

Now more than ever men want to enhance their stuff.

Penile enlargement does not necessarily improve sexual experience for the man or the partner and it only gives the perception of larger size.

There are two components for penile enlargement surgery, cutting the suspensory ligament for longer appearance and taking fatty tissue from the abdomen and injecting it around the shaft for girth.

The job of the suspensory ligament is to hold the penis close to the lower abdomen and to direct the penis up or straight during an erection.

By cutting this ligament a man who undergoes penile enlargement surgery can engorge the penis with blood during an erection, but the organ points down as opposed to up or straight

Just like body dysmorphia where someone may think they are too thin or fat despite the evidence proving otherwise, some men suffer from penile dysmorphic disorder. Men with this problem are screwed ( sorry, I could not help it.)

Less than 0.5% of men have a clinically small penis called microphallus. This is a situation where a man has only a glans ( head of the penis) with little to no apparent shaft. In my clinical experience after analyzing hundreds of penises (it’s part of my job) I have seen one microphallus patient.

How do You Compare with the Rest of the World?

One study looked at the research of over 15,000 men who underwent penile size measurement for the sake of science, and this is what they found:

• The average length of a flaccid penis was 3.6 inches (9.16 cm).
• The average length of a flaccid stretched penis was 5.21 inches (13.24 cm).
• The average length of an erect penis was 5.16 inches (13.12 cm).
• The average flaccid circumference was 3.66 inches (9.31 cm).
• The average erect circumference was 4.59 inches (11.66 cm).

 

We’re all busy people, and chances are you’ve never found the time to measure yourself up.

But if you do want to do the experiment, here’s the correct way to size yourself.

1. A “flaccid penis” is one that is un-stimulated or not aroused, and would be seen when the man is in the normal anatomical position.
2. A “flaccid stretched” penis is unaroused and pulled to its maximal distance.Please, please, please don’t hurt yourself.
3. An “erect penis” is one that is maximally stimulated, either through visual, tactile or pharmaceutical manipulation.

Penile girth should be obtained from the middle of the penile shaft, in all three states.  Take a tape measure and simply wrap it around. When you’re measuring length, start at the base of the penis (right at the pubic bone) to the tip of the head of the penis.

But before we get there, let’s talk history.

How long have people been studying penis length?  I did my own search through the medical literature and found that the earliest formal study was in 1899.  This study (Loeb 1899) examined 50 men aged 17 to 35 and found that their average flaccid length was 3.7 inches (9.6 cm).

The first studies looking at other variables (e.g. girth) I found were Schonfeld and Bebe (1942). They found that the average stretched length was approximately 5.1 inches (13.1 cm). In addition, they found the average girth of the flaccid penis (location of measurement not mentioned) to be 3.3 inches (8.5 cm), and the average girth of the erect penis to be 6.2 inches (15.8 cm).

Apparently, things have changed much over the past 60 years eh?

Does Shoe Size Correlate with Penile Size?

I always wondered if shoe size reflected the size of a man’s penis. So I looked it up.  According to a study that examined 104 men from 54 to 87 years of age, there was no statistical correlation between stretched penile length and shoe size.  Darn!

What about finger length? 

Interestingly, it was not the size of the fingers but the length ratio of the second (index) to fourth (ring) fingers that predicted penile length (Choi et al., 2011).  This study suggests that anyone with a ring finger that stretches far beyond his index finger may be blessed in unexpected ways. Yes, some people have longer ring fingers than index fingers and vice versa.

 

[Go ahead. Measure your finger lengths and compare. No one will ever know. 🙂 ]

Dr. Geo’s Take on Penis Size and Enlargment Procedures

I provide this information mainly to give you an accurate understanding of “normal” penis size, why it matters, and some interesting facts about how penile length relates to other measurements.  If you think you are small, you are likely average.

Of course, some guy in the locker room is hanging long but that is an anomaly and no direct correlation with how he performs sexually.

I have given patients who thought they were small two simple tips:

1. Lose the gut. A big belly makes the penis look smaller than what it is.

2. Shave the pubic hairs as that too makes things look small. Of course, this only improves the perception of size, but that’s OK.

If you are still obsessed if your stuff is up to snuff, then beware of penile dysmorphia disorder and seek help. Like facial procedures, penile enhancement surgery can be somewhat addictive, like Eric Bell from this story who is going for his third procedure.

Also, herbal supplements that promote their pills improves size are lying. No dietary herbal supplement enlarges the penis. Some men who have taken my male health supplement have reported their organ is bigger than before taking the pills. Believe me, I would love for that to be true. But it’s not

Again, no dietary supplement cause penis enlargement. What does happen at times is that there is improved circulation down there and the organ may feel heavier making one feel bigger in the pelvic region. That is a result of enhanced down there, a good thing, but no enlargment of the penile tissues.

Lastly, It’s always good to get to know your body—not for the sake of comparing yourself to others, but for the sake of knowing yourself.  If your penis is below average length (and it is likely not), don’t sweat it! The “ideal penis” changes with the times.

For instance, the ancient Greeks prided themselves on their relatively small penises because they set them apart from the animals.  That’s one way of looking at it, I guess.  The most important thing to do with your penis is not to judge it, but to understand it and enjoy it.

References

Mehraban D, Salehi M, Zayeri F.Penile size and somatometric parameters among Iranian normal adult men. Int J Impot Res. 2007 May-Jun;19(3):303-9.

Shah J, Christopher N. Can shoe size predict penile length? BJU Int2002; 90: 586-587.

Choi IH, Kim KH, Jung H, Yoon SJ, Kim SW, Kim TB. Second to fourth digit ratio: a predictor of adult penile length. Asian J Androl. 2011 Sep;13(5):710-4.

Loeb H. Harnrohrencapacitat und tripperspritzen. Munch Med Wochenschr1899; 46: 17.

Schonfeld W. Normal growth and variation in the male genitalia from birth to maturity. J Urol1949; 48: 759.

Bogaert AF, Hershberger S. The relation between sexual orientation and penile size. Arch Sex Behav1999; 28: 213-221.