Shrinking penis, separating facts from fiction and what you can do to help

Can your penis shrink? Just having the thought might cause you to panic, the idea of your manhood getting smaller! Unfortunately it’s something that many men don’t find out about until it happens to them. And, whilst it is true that your penis can shrink, we’ve separated fact from fiction and discuss why it happens and what you can do to prevent it.

What causes your penis to look smaller?

There are tonnes of perks to getting older, our perspective on life changes to how it was in our 20’s, and we discover what is important to us. But, as we become older and wiser, we also realise that our bodies aren’t what they used to be. It Turns out, as we get more life experience under our belt, something else under our belts can start to get smaller too.

Age

It turns out that the number one cause for a shrinking penis is age, so as you get older, you may notice a slight decrease in the size of your penis and testicles. Although a perfectly normal part of the male ageing process, you may have thought about why your penis shrinks as you age.

The penis is made up of three tubes, your the urethra (responsible for exporting urine out of the body) and two tubes called the corpora cavernosa. The corpora cavernosa contains spongy erectile tissue, and running through the middle of each are arteries that supply blood to the penis. Getting older means we lose elasticity and collagen due to cells ageing and dying off in all parts of our bodies so naturally the same thing happens in your penis to the spongy erectile tissue. As a result, the penis struggles to maintain an erection like it used to.

Another way to look at it (“way to look at it”- is it a fact or not? If yes, you could say “Another factor..”) is the veins inside your penis make it appear fuller, and as the veins age, it has a shrink-like effect (“causes a shrinking effect”) on your member. Think of how a balloon withers and loses air over time but the amount of rubber remains the same. Your actual penis shaft size and skin haven’t gone anywhere, it just has a shrinkage effect due to the natural tissue deterioration and loss of elasticity.

Your penis may also shrink due to (“from”) fatty deposits that build up in your arteries, reducing blood flow to your penis. Blood flow is vital for the penis to maintain an erection. This build-up over a lifetime can cause withering of the muscle cells in the tubes of your erectile tissue creating a slight, but most likely for you, noticeable shrink in penis size.

Another reason why your penis can shrink with age is due to a build-up of scar tissue. Our members experience bumps and grazes from various activities, like sex (“intercourse”) or sport, throughout our lives. Over time, scarring from repeated minor injuries to your penis can cause scar tissue to develop and build up around the formerly elastic and spongy tissue. This build-up occurs in the once supple and elastic sheath surrounding the erectile tissues in your penis, reducing the overall appearance of your penis and limiting the size of erections.

At what age does your penis get smaller?

As normal bodily ageing begins at around 40 years old, it’s around the same time that men may start to notice a decrease in their penis size. As they age, men also experience a reduction in testosterone levels which may have an impact on penis shrinking. There are some other lifestyle choices that can impact our perception of our penis size too.

Weight gain

Many men experience weight gain as they get older and their lifestyle changes, especially around their stomach and lower abdomen. So, whilst your penis can appear smaller, it doesn’t actually shrink. The penis is attached to the abdominal wall and when the belly expands, it pulls the penis inwards. In obese men, the pad of fat can even envelop the shaft of your penis, making it seem smaller than it really is.

Smoking

A study (conducted on) 200 men by the Boston University School of Medicine revealed that smoking can cause penis shrinkage. Results showed smokers had shorter erect penises (up to 1cm shorter) when compared to the length of non-smokers. So, in the same way that smoking damages blood vessels in the heart, the studies have shown the same happens in (with) the penis. When blood vessels are damaged, blood flow is restricted, affecting the ability of the penis to stretch during an erection.

Peyronie’s disease

What is Peyronie’s disease, and why does it cause penile shrinkage? Peyronie’s disease is actually a condition where segments of flat scar tissues (called plaques) form inside the penis. Peyronie’s disease is noncancerous, but can be extremely painful as the plaques can cause the shaft to bend or curve during erections. These segments of scar tissue can be felt beneath the skin and are usally painful to touch. Whilst the cause of the disease isn’t fully understood, it is believed that repeated injury to a penis (during sex, sport or an accident) could cause the condition. As such, Peyronie’s disease can also result in an overall reduction in length and circumference in a non-erect penis.

Prostate surgery

Following a prostate surgery where a cancerous prostate gland is removed, it is common to notice a decrease in the size of your penis. Experts aren’t clear why a penis shortens following a prostatectomy, but it is believed the cause could be due to abnormal muscle contractions in the groin. These abnormal groin contractions following a prostate surgery pull the penis further into the body, making it appear smaller.

Following the major surgery, some men report difficulty in achieving an erection. When the penis is unable to get an erection, the erectile tissue is hungry for oxygen. As a result, this can shrink muscle cells in the spongy tissue as the less stretchy scar tissue forms around it. And although it is reported that up to 70 percent of men experience some levels of penis shrinking following prostate surgery, some don’t experience any at all.

Can you prevent penis shrinking?

With the main cause of penis shrinkage being age, we simply cannot stop the ageing process – yet! So, unfortunately some penis shrinking is inevitable as we get more years behind us. But other causes of penis shrinkage, like weight gain and smoking, can be combated with a healthy lifestyle. By reducing your intake of fatty, artery-clogging foods, exercising regularly and opting not to smoke, you are decreasing your chances of a shrinking penis.

Many treatment options are available for those with Peyronie’s disease through pain management medication, therapy, injection treatment, and surgery to remove the scar tissue. To prevent scar tissue buildup in the first place, try to take care of your member! Understand that reoccurring damage from sport, injury and sex can build up scar tissue in your shaft and reduce the amount of spongey tissue your penis requires to look fuller.

But, if a shrinking penis is something you are self-conscious of, it may be comforting to know there are treatment options available. Whilst we can’t stop the ways ageing affects the penis, there are plenty of options out there to increase the fullness and overall size of your penis. Let us show you some of our methods and introduce you to Scrotox.

How to grow your scrotum, using Scrotox

For years we have been enhancing all other parts of our body by working out, plastic surgery and dermal fillers, so why not get the most out of your manhood? The average testicular volume is 15–20mL, with some gradual decline that comes with ageing. Just like we inject filler into parts of the body to enhance those features, the same can be done with your penis.

At CALIBRE Clinics, we specialise in injectable penis enlargement solutions. Our CALIBRE procedure is the injection of dermal fillers just below the penile skin and can noticeably increase penis girth or circumference for both a flaccid and erect penis.

For someone wanting the effect of a fuller scrotum, we use a thinner version of hyaluronic acid. The thicker and stiffer form we use for our CALIBRE treatment is too solid, and it’s unknown how long the product would last in the scrotum.

Some clients have asked about permanent fillers like PMMA, short for Poly (methyl methacrylate), for their scrotum. We would advise against this. PMMA is medically produced tiny balls of acrylic plastic and works by stimulating the body’s collagen production, but essentially has a scarring effect. The scrotum is already lubricated with thin hyaluronic acid liquid, so the testicles can move around. Injecting the testicles with PMMA and creating this scar-like tissue isn’t the best course of action for a fuller penis.

There is also considerable variability in how low testicles hang, with many men wanting to adjust this. The scrotum skin contains the dartos muscle, which causes it to wrinkle up and contract. In some men, this is more relaxed and lower, with many preferring this look. Others report pain due to their scrotum being so tight. In this situation, Scrotox can help!

The Scrotox process

Before receiving the Scrotox, you will need to have local anaesthetic cream applied for 15–30 minutes. For the injection of the Scrotox, the pricks are very superficial and just into the skin itself. It takes 50–100 units to make a difference, so we usually start with just 50 units to see if that is enough. For you to see a reasonable increase in your bulge, a minimum of 10mL of Scrotox is needed, with up to 20mL being ideal. If you are looking to maintain the results, the treatment needs to be repeated every three to four months after the first session.

If you desire your testicles to hang lower or fix the issue of a too tight scrotum, we may need to inject deeper into the cremaster muscle, which is responsible for retracting the testicle up. Usually, we start with just the superficial injection to see if that is enough.

So what is PRP, and what can it do for a shrinking penis?

Our Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) procedure is designed to improve erectile dysfunction for better sexual performance. Here’s what you need to know.

Platelets are tiny cell fragments in the bloodstream that are important for clotting and carrying the growth factors necessary for healing. PRP is produced by taking a blood sample, spinning it in a medical centrifuge and decanting the platelets in their concentrated form. Whilst CALIBRE had been interested in this procedure for several years, we weren’t satisfied the preparation methods were yielding high enough quality PRP to actually work.

We now have the Emcyte PURE PRP system – which collects 60mL or 120mL of blood – enough quality PRP to make a difference! The sealed system spins the sample twice to remove the red blood cells and collect the maximum number of platelets. We get almost 8mL or 16mL of PURE PRP, depending on the kit or blood taken. Here, the platelets are concentrated six to eight times to around 1,000,000mL – the level needed to achieve a medical change.

How does PRP improve a shrinking penis?

Traditionally, our administration of PRP is mainly to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). The procedure improves the quality, frequency and hardness of erections, but we also know the growth factors in platelets help restore and increase the blood vessels which support the erectile tissue. By keeping your penile tissue and blood flow as healthy as possible, you may be less likely to experience penis shrinking.

The term PRP might sound familiar, as it’s becoming a valued medical treatment worldwide for a number of reasons. It continues to be used extensively in oral surgery, bone grafts, orthopaedic surgery and arthritis treatment. It’s even used for hair regrowth and other types of cosmetic and regenerative medicine. Recently, enough evidence has been collected to show the real long-term benefits of PRP.https://www.calibreclinic.com.au/peyronies-disease