I’ve run one of, if not the, highest volume penile implant clinic in the world for over twenty years, have treated thousands of patients and trained multiple generations of urologic surgeons in how to safely and effectively administer these prostheses. In all this time, there’s one major misconception in popular media that I’d like to address once and for all:
Penile implant surgery is not a cosmetic procedure.
Awareness of erectile dysfunction has increased (in part due to the availability of medication), but the surgical treatment of it has not to the same extent. Part of this is due to stigma, part of this is due to lack of education, part of is due to men being reticent to acknowledge and treat their sexual well-being.
A few key facts:
- Erectile dysfunction is more common than you might think: Somewhere between 20 and 30 percent of men in their twenties experience ED. With age, that number grows roughly consistently with the number of decades men have been alive; roughly 40 percent of men in their 40s experience it to some degree, as do roughly 70 percent of men in their 70s, and so on.
- Medication doesn’t work for everyone: The widespread availability of drugs such as Viagra or Cialis has been life-changing for many men, but not all of them. If patients don’t respond to medication, or have other health complications that preclude medication, penile implant surgery performed by a dedicated implant surgeon is a safe, effective, and minimally invasive option.
- Erectile dysfunction doesn’t necessarily mean an absent libido or an inability to maintain an erection: Erectile dysfunction doesn’t necessarily mean that men have lost interest in their partner or are unable to experience the increase of blood flow to their penis that accompanies arousal; what it can mean is that they are unable to maintain a penetrating erection, i.e. the ability to perform sexually.
- Time lost is length lost and girth lost: Not getting regular, healthy erections doesn’t just impact relationships. It leads to the atrophy of erectile tissue. Girth can be restored and enhanced safely and effectively, length can not. This is just one of the reasons why men need to overcome the shame and/or embarrassment factor and seek treatment.
- Non-prescription-treatable ED doesn’t only affect men: Loss of sexual function can have a ripple effect, not just for men, but their partners, their identities, and their emotional well-being. The good news is that it can be treated, the bad news is that lack of awareness of options for men and the stigma surrounding ED and its treatments means many men suffer in silence. They shouldn’t, and they don’t need to.
In my time as a penile implant surgeon, it has been an honor to help men regain their ability to function sexually. This is, however, done with the knowledge that many other men are either unaware of this procedure and its efficacy as an option or unwilling to seek treatment. Awareness is key.