COSMETIC TOWN JOURNAL



Persistent Penis Problems? Try A Penile Implant Today!

Posted August 26, 2015

While many women turn to butt implants to add size to their booty, some male patients are also turning to implants to address an issue with their body. A condition that plagues over 30-million men in the United States is one that many of them don’t like to discuss in public.  Erectile dysfunction (also known as ED) is when a man is unable to achieve and maintain an erection during sexual intercourse.  While most people immediately think of Viagra as the cure for this condition, there is another erectile dysfunction treatment available to men known as penile prostheses or penile implants.

Penile Implants Explained

To put it in simple terms, a penile implant gives a man the ability to have an erection whenever he is having trouble achieving one naturally.  The ability to have an erection whenever desired, without the use of pills or other treatments, has been around since penile implants were invented in 1973. 

There are two main types of penile implants for patients to discuss with their doctor in order to decide which is best for their medical situation:

  1. The most common penile implant is an inflatable penile prosthesis.  It’s a simple procedure for a man to employ when he is ready for sex.  The man squeezes a pump that is implanted in the scrotum.  The pump then transfers the saline solution that is stored behind the groin, in a reservoir, to a set of cylinders located in the shaft.  This process takes the penis from soft to hard within a couple of minutes.
  2. The second type of penile implant is a device called a semi-rigid penile prosthesis.  This implant is made of malleable stainless steel wires (two of them) that are surrounded by silicone. With the semi-rigid penile prosthesis, the penis is erect at all times.  It can be maneuvered up or down manually depending on the needs of the man at any certain moment. 

The decision on which implant to get is determined by such factors as the age of the patient as well as the total size of his penis.

Erectile Dysfunction Causes

 Once the brain has sent a stimulus to begin the erection:

  • The blood circulation into the penis has to be adequate
  • The veins of the male must be able to keep the blood in the penis
  • The nerves leading to the penis must be working properly

If any of the above steps are not being executed properly, the full erection will not happen for the male.

How to Prepare for a Penile Implant Procedure

The first step in the preparation for this procedure is a consultation with a surgeon. During the consultation session, the doctor will likely review the medical history of the patient and ask relevant questions about current and past medical conditions in regards to erectile dysfunction. A physical exam will also be done to make sure penile implants are the best option for the patient. The physical exam always includes a complete urologic exam which will enable the doctor to confirm the presence and nature of the erectile dysfunction. It's also important to know that the procedure is considered permanent and irreversible.

Penile Implant Procedure

Prior to the beginning of the procedure, the patient receives general anesthesia to prevent discomfort and IV antibiotics to prevent infections. The area to be treated will also be shaved before the procedure begins.

A tube (catheter) might be inserted into the bladder via the penis to collect urine at some point during surgery. The surgeon will make an incision below the head of the penis, at the base of the penis or in the lower abdomen. Next, the surgeon will stretch the spongy tissue in the penis that would normally fill with blood during an erection. This tissue is inside each of the two hollow chambers called the corpora cavernosa. The surgeon will choose the correct sized implant and place the implant cylinders inside the penis. All sizes are customized to the patient's exact body measurements.

If the doctor is implanting a two-piece inflatable device, a pump and valve are placed inside the scrotum. For a three-piece device, the doctor will also implant a fluid reservoir under the abdominal wall through an internal incision.

Once the device is in place, the incisions will be sutured. Penile implant surgery usually takes 45 minutes to an hour.

Penile implants losing its Appeal?

Even though it is not obvious when a man has had a penile implant (since the procedure is not visible from the outside), the implants are actually decreasing in popularity according to research recently published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.  The research shows that, while the number of men diagnosed with erectile dysfunction had an increase of 165\\% during the 10-year study, the number of men receiving a penile implant actually decreased during that same period.  While 4.6\\% of men suffering from erectile dysfunction got a penile implant in 2002, only 2.3\\% of men decided to have an implant procedure in 2010.

One of the possible reasons for the decline in penile implants is the rise of alternative treatments such as Viagra and Cialis.  The ability to try and “solve the problem” by taking a pill can be seen as an easier solution than undergoing surgery.  There is even a shot that men can give themselves to help cause an erection.  The shot procedure is known as an intracavernosal injection and it is injected into the base of the penis.

Dr. Drago Montague, director of the Center for Genitourinary Reconstruction in the Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, and professor of surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine was interviewed about penile prosthesis by CNN.  In the news story, he was quoted as saying “There’s a real need for penile prosthesis, but this isn't generally recognized by the public and even some medical professionals. Not being able to have intercourse has been shown in numerous studies to cause low self-esteem depression." Montague went on to say that men should be given all available options early in their treatment including the choice of penile implants.

No matter which treatment option a man decides to undergo, the first step should be consulting with a doctor.  An experienced physician can professionally determine the cause of the erectile dysfunction and guide the patient on the best course of action.  While there are pills and other medications available to combat this condition, the longest lasting solution (no pun intended) continues to be penile implants for men.

 

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