Key Facts About The Three Most Popular Penis Enlargement Methods
This article is intended to give you a simple, but thorough introduction to three popular non-surgical penis enlargement techniques that you’ve probably come across – penile exercises, traction devices and supplements. By keeping things as fact based, simplistic and as objective as possible (you certainly won’t find any marketing hype or sensationalism below) you’ll hopefully be able to make a clear decision as to whether any of these methods live up to your expectations.
Penis Enlargement Exercises
The Concept
There are two basic types of penile exercises, which are used in tandem to stimulate penile growth through two distinct processes:
1. Jelqing exercises attempt to stretch the sheath of tissue (called the tunica albuginea) that surrounds the two main erectile chambers that form the bulk of your penile shaft. By doing so the erectile chambers contained within the tunica are given more room to expand during an erection – leading primarily (but not exclusively) to increases in penile girth. You could compare this idea to over inflating a tyre (the tunica being the tyre that you’re attempting to stretch to over inflate your penis). Unlike a tyre however, the tunica gradually but permanently stretches, promoting long-term girth improvements.
2. Stretching exercises focus on stretching the (suspensory and fundiform) ligaments at the base of your penile shaft. Employing the same principle as the surgical penis lengthening procedure (which entails cutting these ligaments), this enables a section of the 3 – 4 inches of penile shaft trapped behind the pubic bone to gradually shift forward – which promotes length increases in both the flaccid and erect state.
Do Penile Exercises Work?
No credible studies into the effectiveness of penile exercises have been undertaken and therefore, corroboratory medical evidence if thin on the ground. However, that’s no reason to dismiss these techniques:
Clinical studies investigating the effectiveness of penis traction devices (see below) have conclusively proved that the penile ligaments are susceptible to stretching (producing permanent penile length increases). Similarly, various medical journals have reported cases of men experiencing permanent penile enlargement after suffering from a condition called Priapism (a condition which causes involuntary erections that refuse to subside). MRI imaging on these men shows that their prolonged erections gradually stretched the tunica albuginea, leading to a permanent ‘Megalophallus’. Therefore, the physiological principles behind penile exercise techniques have been medically shown to work.
In practice, men tend to experience varying success rates with such penile exercises, ranging from no gains at all to increases of up to two inches in penile size in as little as 3 – 6 months. This discrepancy is more than likely due to motivation levels, workout consistency and intelligently applying techniques rather than differences in physiology.
Advantages of Penile Exercise...
- A very accessible and cheap option that requires nothing more than a good guide and a healthy dose of motivation.
- Relatively safe – newbie’s may experience minor bruising, general penile soreness and (rarely) temporarily reduced erection quality, but such side-effects tend to be short lived.
- In addition to prominent size improvements, long-term penile exercise tends to lead to significant improvements in erection quality (due to improved penile blood flow) and increased orgasm control and intensity (due to the development of the pelvic floor muscles).
Disadvantages...
- Gains can be ‘hit and miss’ and require patience, focus and commitment to realise. A workout regime of at least four, twenty minute sessions per week is required to succeed.
- Requires a moderately sharp learning curve to get to grips with exercises / workouts and a strong attention to detail to fully understand and appreciate how to make steady and consistent progress.
Where to Get Good Training Material...
Screenshot of the Penis Health member's area
I’ve had the dubious privilege of wading through more online penis exercise guides than I’ve had hot dinners over the last 10 years. Although most are incompetent pieces of drivel written by quick buck merchants, there are a couple of gems that offer genuine and professional guidance.
One of my consistent favourites tends to be the Penis Health guide – mainly because it provides very good video demonstrations of and provides logical, well planned exercise routines. For one of the most professionally produced guides available it’s also extremely competitively priced…which is never a bad thing.
Another favourite of mine is the Erection Fitness guide. However, it’s a few dollars more and doesn’t really offer anything more for the extra investment – apart from a bottle of VigRX Plus supplements if you’re interested in that sort of thing. But thrown in extras aside, either or of these guides will give you the knowledge to do the job equally effectively.
Penis Traction (Extender) Devices
The Concept...
Just like the penis stretching ‘exercises’ mentioned above, a penis traction device (also known as an extender) encourages the ligaments at the base of the penis to gradually stretch. As they stretch, a portion of the internally held section of the penile shaft shifts forward - giving you more functional (as well as visual) length. Again, this idea relies on the same principle as penis lengthening surgery but substitutes stretching the ligaments for cutting them with a scalpel.
The primary difference between traction and exercise is that penile traction applies comparatively low levels of traction for extended periods each day, whereas stretching exercises tend to rely on short bursts of highly intensive stretches.
Does Penile Traction Work?
Ironically, penile traction devices were originally intended to ‘assist’ the development of length gains following penis lengthening surgery. However, growing medical evidence suggests that they’re more effective when used on their own.
The Journal of Sexual Medicine for example, reported on a study conducted in Denmark which involved 18 patients who’d agreed to undertake a 6 month course of daily penile traction instead of undergoing surgery. The study reported that the participants achieved an average erect length improvement of 1.9mm per week culminating in a total average erect length gain of 1.8 inches over the 6 month period. In percentage terms, this equated to an average erect length increase of 29 percent. This was however, a very ‘aggressive’ traction study which required the participants to employ the use of their devices for 12 hours per day in order to achieve such impressive improvements.
A 2008 Italian study published in the British Journal of Urology showed however, that statistically significant gains are still possible when a more moderate penile traction regime is undertaken. This six month trial required its fifteen participants use penile traction for a much more manageable four hours per day. Over the six month period the subjects achieved an average 0.65 inch improvement in erect length and 0.9 inch improvement in flaccid length – sufficient improvement for the researchers to conclude that penile traction was a ‘minimally invasive and effective’ alternative to surgery.
Compare the above results to a 2006 study published in the European Urology medical journal that reported average erect length increases of just 1.3 cm (0.5 inch) in 42 patients who’d opted for penis lengthening surgery and it’s easy to understand the growing popularity of traction.
Advantages of Penile Traction...
- The only alternative to surgery that has gained undisputable supporting evidence.
- Minimal injury potential – beginners frequently experience slight soreness around the penile head, but such discomfort is usually short lived.
- A less ‘hands on’ approach than exercise - next to no learning curve and far less motivation required to reap the rewards. Modern medical devises are intended to be worn comfortably and safely with little intervention for extended periods per day. As long as you’re not a Status Quo fan with a penchant for tight jeans, you should be able to go around your daily business quite normally without raising any eyebrows.
- Even high quality medical devices are now relatively affordable. The new Male Edge (see below) from DanaMedic retails for just a couple hundred dollars – a far cry from the $1000 price tag top end devices carried just a few years ago.
Disadvantages...
- Slightly (but not prohibitively) more expensive than exercise.
- Promotes gains primarily in length. Whilst it’s a myth that traction increases length at the expense of girth, clinical studies do not report significant girth improvements. If you’re looking to increase penis girth the only viable route remains penile exercise and or a traction / exercise combination.
- Traction may be an ‘easier’ option than exercise, but it’s still requires consistent use and patience to deliver results.
Recommended Devices...
Currently, the Male Edge device probably offers the best combination of features and value. It’s all in one, compact design makes it simple to use and very comfortable, whilst it’s maximum 3kg of tension is almost double that of its competitors – making it extremely powerful. Built by DanaMedic (who developed the first medical traction device the Jes Extender) in the 1990’s, the build quality and innovative features of the Male Edge device really defy its $200 price tag.
The Male Edge Pro Traction Device
Penis Pills
The Concept...
To strip away every last ounce of effort required to enlarge your little friend.
How’s this ‘miracle’ of modern science meant to work? Well that’s best explained by looking at the ingredients.
The ingredients in penis pills (various herbs, amino acids and other naturally occurring compounds) usually fulfil one of the two following functions:
1. They relax the arteries that supply the penis with blood - therefore boosting blood flow and consequently, improving erection quality.
2. They increase testosterone levels – leading not surprisingly to an increase in sex drive.
This combination of swollen and frequent erections is intended to effortlessly stimulate penile growth.
Do Penis Pills Work?
No…wishful thinking aside, I’m afraid you’re unlikely to realise any permanent penis size improvements.
Taken by a healthy male, the top brands will induce erections the likes you haven’t seen since you saw Pamela Anderson looking all inviting on the centre pages of Playboy when you were 14 (so yes…your erections will look bigger), but there’s no evidence whatsoever that this Viagra like effect will last any longer than your supply of supplements.
On a positive note, many men who’ve combined these supplements with exercise or penile traction feel that their overall progress has been boosted – sometimes significantly so. And if you think about it logically, there could be a couple of good reasons why they are indeed beneficial to the penis enlargement process.
Firstly, achieving success with penile exercise or traction has as much to do with recovering fully between workouts as it does with the actual quality of your workouts – because it’s during the rest periods that the tissues repair and grow. Because ‘penis pill’ supplements boost blood flow to the penis, they’ll also be improving the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the stressed tissues – which of course are both vital for effective recovery. Secondly, experiencing frequent, maxed out erections should help to always ‘solidify’ your current maximum size – believe it or not, the phrase ‘use it or lose it’ is particularly apt when it comes to developing a bigger penis.
So, although they’re by no means essential, you may find that a good quality supplements does speed things up.
Advantages of Penis Pills...
- They’ll give you impressive looking erections for as long as you take them.
- They can help to reduce recovery times between workouts (if you’re using penile exercise or traction) - therefore producing speedier gains.
Disadvantages...
- They’re expensive – good quality supplements will set you back $50 – $75 per month (depending on the quantity you buy).
- As you’ll have gathered from above, they don’t work on their own. You’ll still have to take the plunge with either a penile traction device or exercise to truly justify the investment.
Recommended Brands...
VigRX Plus - The only clinically trialled penis pill
Again, it’s vital to stick to the better known brands – the internet has seen its fair share of over priced ‘dud’ products over the years - and we’re not just talking about ineffective supplements that just drain your bank account. There have been cases where brands have been found under laboratory analysis to contain contaminants such as lead, mould and pesticide residues. Others have been known to cause some pretty unpleasant side effects (including headaches and stomach upsets, high blood pressure, insomnia and anxiety) in a high percentage of users.
I tend to recommend VigRX Plus – a well established brand that’s seen most of its competition come and go over the years. It’s one of the few penis pill supplements to be produced in pharmaceutical grade facilities (ensuring ingredient purity and quality) and it’s also the only one that I’m aware of that’s undergone any form of genuine clinical testing. Recent double blind human trials showed the supplement to significantly improve erection quality and sex drive in 75 test subjects in comparison to those given a placebo. Therefore, the supplement should certainly help you to get the most of your efforts with penile exercise or traction. In fact, the manufacturers include membership to the Erection Fitness penile exercise guide (one of the better guides as you’ll have read above) on orders of 4 months or more, which you may decide does make a larger order worth the investment.