Dr Gary Horn
Plastic surgery

Penoplasty: penis length and girth enhancement

Written in association with: Dr Gary Horn

Published: 12/05/2020

Edited by: Emma McLeod

The length and girth of a penis can cause anxiety in many men. Fortunately, safe surgical and non-surgical procedures can help to resolve this. However, men undergoing these procedures need to be realistic about the results. Dr Gary Horn, a renowned plastic surgeon with extensive expertise in cosmetic treatments including penoplasty procedures, explains what happens, risks and a non-surgical alternative.

An image of a man's body, which is visible from the waste down, sitting on a sofa

What is penoplasty?

Penoplasty is the surgical procedure used to increase length, girth or both of the penile shaft.

Is penoplasty safe?

Penoplasty techniques have been around for more than 20 years. They are safe as long as your surgeon is experienced with this surgery.

What happens during a penoplasty procedure?

Penoplasty surgery is performed in a hospital and requires general anaesthesia for most cases.

To increase the length, your surgeon needs to release part of the suspensory ligament; this is what attaches the non-visible part of the shaft to the pubic bone. The length gained varies between 1 to 3cms (half an inch to an inch and a half). However, this length is mostly visible in the flaccid state. The increase of length is barely visible or not visible at all during an erection.

To increase the girth, your surgeon needs to transfer fat from the areas where it is available, such as the stomach and inner thighs. This fat is transferred to the dorsal part of the penile shaft. Generally, 80 to 100ml of purified fat is injected deep into the subcutaneous layer of the penile shaft. The increase of girth that’s visible in both the flaccid and erection state varies between 2 to 4cm (1 to 1 and a half inches).

What are the risks of penoplasty?

Risks of lengthening the penis:

Pain for about 10 days (alleviated by pain killers)
4cm scar in the pubic area (this will fade within six months)
Swelling for three weeks
Infections (prevented by antibiotics)
Bleeding and haematomas (which are usually drained)
The penis having a slightly more horizontal angle when erect

Risks of increasing penis girth with fat transfer:

Pain in the donor area
Bruising
Fat lumps (prevented by massage)
Fat resorption (depending on the technique used, this varies between 5 to 25%)
Tight foreskin (phimosis) if fat gets stuck under the foreskin

And for both parts of this treatment, patients have to be aware of realistic expectations.

How long does it take to recover from penoplasty?

During recovery you must:

rest for two weeks
avoid the gym for four weeks
wait six weeks before having sex

Is there a non-surgical option?

The non-surgical option is to get injections of hyaluronic acid. This filler treatment is performed under local anaesthetic in the clinic and takes half an hour. The amount of injections depends on your size and how big you want the penis to be. What’s more, it can be done in one or multiple sessions.

This filler will last 18 months and is a reversible product. If you don’t like the result, it can be removed with the injection of an enzyme

To get in touch with Dr Horn and discover how he can help you with penoplasty, pectoral enhancement and more, click here.

By Dr Gary Horn

Plastic surgery in London

Dr Gary Horn is a renowned plastic surgeon based in both London and Brussels, who has extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of cosmetic surgery. His areas of expertise lie in buttock augmentation, surgical and nonsurgical penoplasty, and pectoral enhancement. In 2003 Dr Horn designed the first pectoral implant, which is now used worldwide. Dr Horn started his medical career training in the main hospitals of Paris, including Hospital Saint Louis and Hospital Saint-Antoine, whe...

By Dr Gary Horn
Plastic surgery

Dr Gary Horn is a renowned plastic surgeon based in both London and Brussels, who has extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of cosmetic surgery. His areas of expertise lie in buttock augmentation, surgical and nonsurgical penoplasty, and pectoral enhancement. In 2003 Dr Horn designed the first pectoral implant, which is now used worldwide.

Dr Horn started his medical career training in the main hospitals of Paris, including Hospital Saint Louis and Hospital Saint-Antoine, where he was chief resident and then the assistant at the Hospital de Paris. Specialising in plastic, aesthetic and reconstructive surgery, Dr Horn became a consultant plastic surgeon in 2002. In 2003 he dedicated himself to his private practice and registered with the General Medical Council (GMC) in the UK where he opened his London clinic.

He has written many professional articles about his experience in pectoral and buttock augmentation and wrote the first article on this topic to appear in the magazine French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery. He attends many national and international meetings on plastic surgery in cities such as Sao Paolo, where he performed live surgery, Heidelberg, Barcelona and Beirut, where he also holds many presentations.

Dr Horn's operations have been featured on the BBC Plastic Fantastic series. He has been filmed for his pioneering penoplasty procedures and is recognised as one of the top European surgeons for breast and buttock augmentation procedures.