Matt was just one of dozens of men unhappy with his penis who sought genital enlargement surgery as a solution.
But the treatment he dreamed of ended in excruciating fashion and the 46-year-old told Web he felt like a “broomstick” had been implanted in his now deformed penis.
In the end, the Utah military veteran would have to pay about £250,000 to have the left-wing “Frankenstein” operation corrected.
And he’s not alone. Dozens of other men seek similarly dangerous treatments in their quest for the perfect penis, driven by feelings of insecurity about their looks or the inadequacy of the bedroom.
For some, the quest to have a longer, thicker, or more aesthetically pleasing organ has backfired.
Clinics specializing in such procedures offer a range of treatments for men who want a bigger package
Matt, 46, from Utah, paid £12,500 for a Penuma implant, which he said was causing devastating pain, and had it removed five months later
Another man described how fractured silicone implants were found in his socket just five years after his surgery.
Clinics specializing in such procedures offer a range of treatments for men who want a bigger package.
One option, called a penuma implant, is a silicone structure that is surgically inserted into the penis, similar to some breast implants.
Other treatments involve cutting an inner ligament in the groin to make the penis appear longer. Others inject substances like collagen gel and hyaluronic acid to thicken the penis.
Industry experts saw a boom in penis enlargement surgeries in the wake of the pandemic, which they say is linked to increased porn use and WFH policies allowing patients to recover quietly at home.
What are the different penis enlargement procedures?
The British generally have three different types of penis enlargement available.
These include:
Injections for penis enlargement: £1,000 – £2,500
In non-surgical penoplasty, hyaluronic acid or collagen is injected into the penis to make it thicker and longer.
The recommended safe amount is between 10 and 15 ml, which can increase girth by 15 percent.
Belt Augmentation Surgery: £2,500 – £6,000+
In order to enlarge the penis, fat from other parts of the body is transplanted into the penis.
Surgeons can also place implants in the penis to enlarge it when flaccid and erect.
This operation can expand the circumference by 0.6 inch (1.5 cm) to 1.31 inch (3.35 cm).
Lengthening Surgery: £2,5000 – £6,000+
This only lengthens a flaccid penis, not an erect one.
A surgeon cuts the bondage strap that attaches the penis to the pubic bone. This reduces the angle of the penis, making it longer when flaccid.
This typically adds 0.65 cm (0.25 in) to 1.8 cm (0.7 in) in length to the penis.
It’s not just about size. Some men, like Matt, are just looking for a more aesthetically pleasing penis.
After being unhappy with a slight left turn, the 46-year-old figured a £12,500 implant would solve all his genital woes.
The Utah military veteran suffered “devastating” damage after the trial backfired in September 2019.
He has since spent more than £250,000 on further procedures to regain his ‘manhood’ and five months later had his Penuma device removed.
Matt, who declined to reveal his last name, claimed his girlfriend afterwards said his penis “felt like a steak knife” during sex.
He said it made his penis “misshapen” and made him feel like “Frankenstein’s monster,” in excruciating pain and disoriented.
“It felt like a broomstick had been implanted in my penis,” he told Web.
“I paced up and down my apartment every night in pain.
“You don’t feel like you can have a sexual or intimate partner or experience with the person you love.”
“You feel distant, you feel separate, you feel utter loneliness.”
He said his swelling and pain did not go away after the surgery and he could feel it getting worse day by day over the weeks.
Matt said the swelling got so bad that his girlfriend, a registered nurse, was forced to drain 8 ounces of fluid from his swollen penis.
But his problems didn’t stop after the implant was removed.
Matt said the procedure created scar tissue over his penis that restricted blood flow and prevented it from stretching and expanding during an erection. It left him tormented too.
This prompted him to “fly around the world” to find a reconstructive surgeon who could help him.
After a horrific ordeal, Matt said his penis now looks “okay” and that he has achieved his original goal of eliminating the curve.
Unlike Matt, Emmanuel Jackson didn’t pay for a bigger penis. Instead, he won a free surgery in 2013.
Matt, who declined to reveal his last name, claimed his girlfriend afterwards said his penis “felt like a steak knife” during sex.
What is a Penuma implant?
The Penuma implant is only available in the United States.
It is a soft, C-shaped, medical-grade silicone that is inserted into the penis to correct a curvature or enlarge a buried penis.
The patient is put under general anesthesia while the surgeon makes a small incision just above the base of the penis.
The implant is then inserted through the incision along the shaft of the penis.
At this point, the surgical implant is adjusted to the patient’s shape.
Once the penuma is in place, it is secured with small stitches.
A patient must be circumcised before the procedure and all smokers must quit smoking months in advance.
The implant has a 270 degree angle and wraps around the shaft, sparing the urethra.
The surgery usually takes about an hour, but follow-up care can take months.
Patients are told not to have sexual intercourse until their doctor gives permission, which is at least six to eight weeks after surgery.
But the ecstasy turned to agony after the then 26-year-old ex-model reportedly suffered ruptures of his silicone penis implant.
For five years he reported no problems. But in 2018, medics at the Cleveland Clinic told him his implant had shattered into pieces that were floating beneath his skin.
Such extreme pain even prompted Emmanuel to attempt suicide, according to ProPublica.
Penuma implants can have dangerous side effects, experts say. A surgeon warned that they could become infected and the skin around the penis could die off.
Professor Amr Raheem of International Andrology said: “In severe cases of infection, necrosis or death of the penile skin covering the implant can occur.”
“This is a serious complication that will require immediate treatment and likely removal of the implant to control infection and prevent further tissue damage.”
Ironically, he added, those aiming for a longer penis through the implant can suffer the opposite fate – depending on how it heals.
During this so-called retraction, the tissue around the penis contracts as it forms scars during the healing process through the incision.
Penuma implants are the only FDA-approved penile implant and are only available in the United States.
Web has reached out to the Penuma company for comment.
According to the NHS, around 45 per cent of men in the UK are unhappy with their penis size.
According to the health service, the average size of an adult penis is 3 to 4 inches when flaccid and 6 to 7 inches when erect.
The NHS offers two different types of penis enlargement procedures, lengthening and enlargement.
But only men with a micropenis — an organ less than 2.8 inches — are eligible.
Micropenis usually develops in the womb due to a hormonal or genetic condition and is typically diagnosed shortly after birth.