Erectile Dysfunction

How To Make Your Penis Bigger: 10 Tips

August 19, 2021

Medically reviewed by

David Culpepper, MD

It’s common for men to wonder if their penis size or erection strength are adequate.

In reality, they're probably both fine.

While a few treatments are available for improving erectile strength, trying to increase the size of your penis can be more difficult.

Here are some techniques for a bigger penis that either work...or are alleged to work in corners of the internet.

What Is the Normal Size of a Penis?

Perhaps it’s due to porn and pop culture, but there's a rising issue with men developing unrealistic expectations about their penis size and sex in general.

In reality, the average penis size is enough to satisfy the needs of most partners. One study found that while 85% of women said they were satisfied with the size of their partner's penis, only 55% of men said they were satisfied with their own size.

There's clearly a disconnect.

Trying to get an average for something as private as penis size can be difficult, but researchers have placed the average penis length at 5.57 inches (14.15 centimeters) and the average girth at 4.81 inches (12.23 centimeters).

Despite most men having a penis between five and seven inches, more men are developing small penis anxiety and penis dysmorphic disorders. In reality, a penis is only scientifically classified as "small" if it measures three inches or less. This is known as a micropenis, and it’s estimated that only 0.6% of men in the world have it.

While your penis size is almost certainly fine the way that it is, there are a few ways that you may be able to make it bigger.

10 Ways To Make Your Penis Bigger

There are real risks associated with a few of these methods and techniques, and most of these approaches are temporary solutions at best. Still, this is the list of possible options for (trying to) increase the size of your penis. Few are medically approved, and medical professionals do not condone most of these approaches.

Exercise Techniques for a Bigger Penis

Several exercises that get discussed in online forums focus on using your hand to massage the various tissues that run along the length of the penis. By creating “micro tears” in the tissue, the skin will be stretched. This will give the appearance of being engorged and make the penis look longer, according to believers.

One of the more popular techniques, known as jelqing, is a stretching exercise that uses hand-over-hand motions to push blood from the base of the penis up the shaft and into the head of the penis.

The process of jelqing looks something like this:

Make an “O” shape using your thumb and index finger.
Place the “O” at the base of your penis where the shaft meets your groin.
Close the “O” around your penis and make it smaller, applying pressure to the shaft of your penis.
Move your finger and thumb up towards the head of your penis all the way to the tip. You should feel pressure while doing this, but not pain. Make sure your grip isn’t too tight.
Repeat this process daily for 10 to 20 minutes.

Research is limited on the effectiveness of jelqing. Additionally, it might lead to the formation of scar tissue as well as pain and disfigurement. Neurological tears can result in the the penis becoming numb, and over-stretching the arteries and veins could result in permanent erectile dysfunction.

Length Penis Surgery: Get a Longer Penis

One of the more popular surgical options for increasing the length of the penis is by severing the suspensory ligament. This connective tissue attaches the penis to the pubic bone, and after being cut, skin is moved from the abdomen to the shaft of the penis.

By performing this surgery, more of the penis will hang down when flaccid. While it may appear that the penis is larger by as much as half of an inch, it actually won’t change the overall length.

With this ligament severed, the penis will end up becoming more unstable when erect. Other complications can include infection, scarring, and a loss of functionality or sensation in the penis.

Girth Penis Surgery: Get a Thicker Penis

For this procedure a patient will have some of their own fat taken from a fleshy part of their body and have it injected into their penis. In some cases the injected fat will simply be reabsorbed into the body and the effects negated. For others, it can lead to a curvature of the penis or make it asymmetrical when erect.

Other options for surgery involve using a substance called AlloDerm, which is a sterilized tissue that is harvested from cadavers. AlloDerm is most commonly used for burn therapy and reconstructive surgeries.

For penis surgery, the transplanted tissue will be wrapped under the skin of the penis to increase the girth of the penis. AlloDerm isn’t really created with penis enhancement in mind, so it’s not uncommon for skin necrosis to occur. In fact, the infection rate of the transplant is as high as 42 percent.

Vacuum Pumps

A popular method of treatment for erectile dysfunction, vacuum pumps can help to make the penis larger for a short amount of time. Using them for too long or too often might result in damaging the elastic tissues of the penis, which can lead to softer erections.

In one study, the best results for penis enlargement were when men used a vacuum pump three times a week for roughly 20 minutes each session. After a six month period, 10% of participants experienced a 0.3 centimeter increase in penis length. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the satisfaction rate was only 30 percent.

The process of using a vacuum pump is:

Insert the penis into the empty cylinder and form a seal against the base of your penis.
Use the battery-powered or hand-operated pump to create a vacuum seal and remove air from the cylinder.
After a few minutes you should achieve an erection.
By continuing to maintain the vacuum seal, more blood will be forced into your penis. The theory is that this excess of blood will force the penis to increase in length.

Be careful when using this method for long periods of time. Too much blood being trapped in the penis for too long using the pump could be damaging to nerve endings and circulation.

Stretching

This technique relies on using a stretcher, extender device, or penile traction device. Using one of these tools, the penis will undergo a gentle tension that pulls and stretches it just past the usual.

Some studies have shown that strapping your flaccid penis to this device and wearing it for several hours every day over the course of a few months may be able to increase the length of your penis.

One study involved using the Andropenis stretching device for six hours every day. After four months, participants were shown to have increased the length of their penis by between 1.8 and 3.1 centimeters. Other studies have suggested even greater increases in length, but others have resulted in no increase for participants.

The proper way to use one of these devices is as follows:

Insert the penis into the end of the device.
Secure the head of the penis in the notches at the opposite end of the device.
Fasten the tube around the shaft of the penis.
Gripping the end of the silicone tube, slowly pull the penis out to stretch it. Stop if it hurts.
Leave the penis in this stretched position between four to six hours daily.

Injections

Similar to the cosmetic fillers that are commonly injected into lips, brows, wrinkles, cheeks, and chins, some doctors may inject fillers into the penis in order to enhance girth. Substances like Restylane and Juvederm will normally last around six months or so before being absorbed into the body, and there is no data to suggest filler injections for the penis will be permanent. There are lots of smooth muscles and empty spaces in the penis. If injections are not placed perfectly, it can result in creating a lumpy effect on the penis.

Medications

While they won’t make the penis larger permanently, using Viagra or Cialis can help to provide a strong and firm erection while the drug remains in your system. By increasing blood flow into the penis and reducing the amount that flows out of it, erections are stronger and last longer than under normal circumstances.

[Read What's More Popular: Cialis or Viagra?]

Lose Some Weight

If you are overweight or obese and have an overhanging “beer gut,” your penis might appear smaller than it actually is.

This is so common that it even has a medical name: buried penis syndrome. By getting more physical exercise and shedding the extra pounds, you can improve your physical condition, strength, and endurance during sex, too.

Implants

Placing implants under the skin of the penis is normally used to treat erectile dysfunction, but the FDA approved using Penuma as a cosmetic enhancement for the penis in 2004. This silicone sleeve can cost as much as $13,000, so it’s not a decision to make lightly. A study into the efficacy of this procedure has some interesting results. Men who underwent this procedure experienced an increase of 56% in girth, and after two years 81% of them reported “high” or “very high” levels of satisfaction.

Shave

The easiest item on the list by far. Simply trimming or shaving your pubic hair can be enough to give the appearance of a larger penis. Obviously, this won’t actually increase penis length, but it can make it look a little bit bigger.

The Takeaway

Trying to make your penis bigger can be a risky endeavor. Research suggests that most methods either won’t work or are only temporary solutions. Most doctors or urologists will recommend against most of the above options.

While it may not be possible to make your penis larger, there are a few things you can do to improve erections. Losing weight, getting more exercise, and eating a healthy diet can improve the strength and quality of erections, and in the event that these lifestyle changes aren’t enough, prescription ED meds can help.

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