People have been trying to alter their body by changing its shape and appearance since the dawn of recorded history. We now know the ancient Egyptians were piercing their ears and dying their hair while earlier cultures were developing tattooing technology. The fact is that it’s human nature to want to improve the way you look in order to change the way you feel. While we may think of body modification as a modern day invention, the fact is it’s been going on since the dawn of man.
Penis enlargement may seem like something that was invented recently, but men have been looking for – and successfully finding – ways to increase their length and girth forever. In ancient times, men would tie small rocks or other weights to the end of their penis as a way to stretch the penis over time. This gave them better length if they were successful but it could sometimes result in thinning the penis, making it smaller in terms of girth, even though it increased in length.
Another penis enlargement method that dates back for centuries is the practice of Jelqing. Simply put, Jelqing is a series of stretches which are designed to elongate the penis. As with weight training, this approach to penile enlargement has been shown to work, but sometimes at the cost of girth.
Over the years, better, easier and more effective methods for enlarging a penis both in length and girth have been made public for commercial sale. The most widely known forms of these are, of course, traction devices and vacuum pumps.
Vacuum pumps have enjoyed unfettered popularity since their introduction in the early 1900s. Vacuum pumps deliver near immediate results by drawing more blood into the shaft of the penis, thereby increasing its girth by an impressive margin. Vacuum pumps have been dependably popular because, quite simply, they work. The down side for men is that they only work in terms of increasing girth – they can’t do anything for length. The results are dramatic, but temporary, so pumps are useful but fall short for men looking for permanent gains.
Traction style penis enlargement devices were developed using the same basic principles at the weight training of years gone by. Traction devices exert a small amount of pressure in order to hold the penis in a stretched position for long periods of time. Users typically need to wear the device 8-12 hours a day, every day, for several week or months before results are seen.
While the wait is long, the results these devices bring have been verified. A handful of clinical studies have been done to determine the efficacy of traction-style devices and they have been proven to work in a clinical setting. These devices are sometimes also used in conjunction with penile surgery, or phalloplasty.
When a man opts for surgical enlargement, he still has an extensive recovery period. During this time, doctors wrap the penis carefully in order to promote healing. As the process goes one, some doctors use traction devices to hold the penis steady for the remaining recovery time. This prevents injury, promotes healing and helps to ensure the penile shaft heals without becoming crooked or bent as the result of scar tissue. If this isn’t done and scar tissue develops, it can turn into a condition known as Peyrione’s Disease. Peyrione’s Disease isn’t life threatening, but it can make sex uncomfortable or even painful for men with an extreme case.
The growing popularity of body modification and a more patient-centred approach to health has made all the options for penis enlargement a mainstream topic. For men concerned about their size, this has made choosing an option easy in many ways. It can also be overwhelming for men who aren’t sure what they want or need. Reaching out to other guys and exploring all your options is the best way to use the popularity of penile enlargement to make an informed decision.