You’ve seen the spam in your e-mail in box and the commercials broadcast on television for procedures that promise to increase a man’s size and/or performance.
And you might have asked yourself certain questions, such as, “Does that really work?” “How do they do it?” “Do I have enough vacation time to have the procedure, recover and return to work without my peers noticing?”
Dr. Rodney Stephen Barron, who describes himself as the most renowned phalloplastic surgeon in the world, has some answers.
“There is a stigma because a lot of people think we shouldn’t be doing anything that alters the way we’re created,” said the Beverly Hills, Calif.-based doctor who, for 15 years, has performed surgery on men from around the world and celebrities from nearby Hollywood. “But that could be said for any cosmetic surgery. And there’s a lot less snickering than there was years ago. People take it very seriously and are amazed that this can be done.”
So what can be done?
Rather than the dubious pills, herbs and creams you might see advertised in the back of magazines, Barron performs lengthening and enlarging procedures, the latter involving injections under the skin of a biomaterial (mined from the patient himself) known as alloderm, which adds mass.
Although the patient can immediately resume most normal activities afterward, it takes about four weeks for full functionality.
(That month of free time can be dedicated to a second job; the procedure can cost upward of $10,000.)
“Men do this to increase their self-confidence,” Barron explained. “The goal is for a man to feel better about himself, and fortunately that usually happens.”
Unfortunately for the doctor, he doesn’t receive many referrals. Guys tend not to brag about phalloplasty.