by Lisette Hilton as published by Cosmetic Surgery Times
Vaginal rejuvenation has gone from hush-hush to trending. The scenario will likely be much the same for men. They, too, want sexual parts to look and feel better, and men are starting to make those desires known, according to Beverly Hills, Calif., dermatologic surgeon Jason Emer, M.D.
“I have many younger male patients who are interested in this,” Dr. Emer says. “As the vaginal rejuvenation market is skyrocketing, men are seeking their own type of rejuvenation. Who wouldn’t want to be a little bit longer, thicker, or have more sensitivity and a better sex life? These men are also becoming interested in the cosmetic appearance of the actual penis and scrotum itself.”
The potential patient population also includes older men, who might have erectile dysfunction, resulting from age or health issues, such as prostate cancer treatment or high blood pressure, as well as cosmetic concerns that keep them from feeling good during intimacy or being comfortable naked, according to Dr. Emer.
Dr. Emer started doing penile enhancement treatments about three years ago. Until recently, most procedures involved using hyaluronic acid fillers or fat injections for penile enlargement. But injecting fillers and fat into the penis can be risky business. There are concerns, according to Dr. Emer, that small area, like the penis, fingers and noses, which have less blood circulation, could be at risk for serious complications from injectables, such as impending necrosis or vascular occlusion injuries.
So, Dr. Emer looked into other options — things he could do externally to the penis and scrotum to achieve desired outcomes with less risk. He found lasers and shock therapy are potential options in penile rejuvenation.
“These stimulate the blood flow and theoretically can improve erectile dysfunction and, in turn, sexual stamina,” he says.
Penile Enhancement Research
Dr. Emer says he has been contacting companies to conduct trials on the use of lasers and shock therapy on penile enhancement with an overwhelmingly positive response.
“I had been performing hair removal treatments in the genital area with a device called Neo, made by Aerolase. It’s a microsecond Nd: YAG laser which is virtually painless and requires no direct contract. It’s very quick, high-energy pulsing, so that you can damage the hair follicle without risk to the the skin,” Dr. Emer says. “When I started doing hair removal on the scrotum and around the penis, patients reported the appearance of their scrotum and penis improved. The skin was less wrinkly, it was smoother, and some even reported it wasn’t as veiny.”
Dr. Emer says that wasn’t too much of a surprise, given the LightPod device has been used for facial rejuvenation. Passes with the device cause deep heating of the tissue promoting collagen formation and tightening. It may also be increasing blood supply to the penile area, he says, which would improve sexual function, sensitivity and size.
After using the Neo on about 10 patients, Dr. Emer says none have reported negative outcomes or complications. All have mentioned that they’re more sensitive in the area since treatment.
“They’ve noticed at least a short-term increase in size, and I have a couple of patients who were unable to get erections easily and now are having them uncontrollably,” Dr. Emer says. “We’ve done similar testing now with another device called Cellutone by BTL Aesthetics which uses shock waves to stimulate blood flow and cause an acute short-term inflammation in the area treated, that, when it repairs itself, heals with improved local function. Not only have patients reported improvement in erectile dysfunction and size, we’ve also noticed improvements using this technology among men who have curved penises and are looking for a more straight appearance.”
Another treatment that is promising is the use of platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, according to Dr. Emer.
“We initially began seeing increased thickness with PRP injections, but then men were not only getting reporting increased erections, better sex, more ejaculations and heightened sensitivity,” he says.
The problem for surgeons who want to start incorporating penile rejuvenation into their practices is the lack of data and information about best practices, according to Dr. Emer. For now, there are a few researchers conducting trials on penile enhancement — Dr. Emer being one.
“There really isn’t much out there. I’m one of the innovators. I hope to be a pioneer in this field. I am trying treatments to meet the demand of my patient population and heighten awareness in this field. I hope that one day this will be mainstream like vaginal rejuvenation has so quickly become. For now, surgeons are going to have to watch what I [and a few others] discover as we try different methods,” he says.
Penis Pumps & Scrotox
Dr. Emer is studying not only individual therapies, but also combinations of devices and injections, as well as how dermatologists and cosmetic surgeons can work with urologists to improve results of treatments. For example, Dr. Emer advocates the use of patient controlled penis pumps at home, immediately after treatments. Dr. Emer says combining what the urologist does with pumps with laser or other injectable treatments further increases blood flow, stimulates new blood vessel growth and could improve overall outcomes.
He is investigating the use of Botox to the genitals.
“Botox decreases sweating, improves wrinkling and may in some cases make the scrotum appear larger by relaxing the muscles in the area,” says Dr. Emer.
Dr. Emer says he has coined the term “Scrotox” for this manly treatment.
“It’s not only cosmetic, my marathon runners and cyclists who get inner thigh rubbing and irritation from sweat, benefit from this treatment as it decreases skin burn,” he says.
Now is the time for aesthetic physicians to consider looking into offering these alternative options to male patients, according to Dr. Emer.
“I think it’s a trend that people will start hearing more about, as there is significant demand. Hopefully, companies will start doing research with me and other interested doctors, so we can get data out to the medical community,” Dr. Emer says.
The timing is right. Men are paying more attention to their looks. They are having skin rejuvenation procedures, body contouring, teeth and hair treatments. They are man grooming more than ever, he says.
“I think every [man] is going to want to do this, as commonly as getting their hair cut or their teeth cleaned,” he says. “Men want to feel and look good. They want to have a better sex life and feel confident being naked.”
Disclosure: Dr. Emer has ties with Eclipse, Aerolase and BTL Aesthetics.
