Penis Fillers: What You Need to Know

Pros 

• You’ll see immediate results. In one study of HA filler injections, the girth of the penis increased by up to 4 cm (1.6”) at one month, 3.3 cm (1.3”) at three months, and 2.6 cm (1”) at six months, gradually decreasing over the next 18 months.
• Increasing your penis size can boost your self-esteem. If your size affects your sexual performance, it may even help you enjoy sexual intercourse more. 
• Discomfort during injections should be minimal, thanks to the numbing cream. You can also request oral anti-anxiety medication.
• The procedure can be repeated until you get the effect you’re after.
• This type of penile augmentation will not negatively affect your ability to achieve an erection. If anything, it may enhance them.
• The treatment can be combined with a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) procedure called the P-Shot, for optimal results.  
• It’s not a common request, but HA fillers can be reversed if you want to return to your original size and shape. The enzyme hyaluronidase can be injected to dissolve any unwanted material. 
• Penis augmentation tends to feel more natural to partners than implant-based penis enlargement. 

Cons

• HA filler results aren’t permanent, so you’ll need continued procedures to maintain the aesthetic proportions. 
• Fat requires a donor site and your provider may have to extract fat each time you need to repeat the procedure. On the flip side, if you have a lot of fat in your lower abdomen, removing it through liposuction can make your penis look bigger. 
• There’s a limit to how much material your penis can comfortably accommodate. The amount will depend on your individual anatomy: smaller penises may only be able to take 5 syringes, while those that are larger could take 15 to 20.
• There are risks to the procedure, including swelling, infection, hypersensitivity, asymmetry, nodules, and penile disfigurement. To avoid poor outcomes, penile augmentation should only be performed by someone experienced in penis injections. 
• Penile augmentation is expensive, and elective procedures like this one aren’t covered by insurance.

• Average Cost:
• $9,960

• Range:
• $4,700 - $13,950

The price you’ll pay for penis fillers will depend on the type of filler used, how many syringes you get, your provider’s credentials, and their practice location. 

Dr. David Schafer, a plastic surgeon based in New York City, says that in his Manhattan practice, most men of average size start with 10 syringes, while men who have a larger penis may get as many as 20. He charges $1,000 per syringe for the first 5 and $900 for each subsequent syringe. Doctors frequently offer this type of bulk discount, but the total cost can still add up quickly. 

Dr. Neavin says that cost is one advantage of using fat to augment the size of your penis. “The gains in girth from fillers are small, unless you inject over five syringes,” says Dr. Neavin. He says that fat transfer is typically less expensive—and final results are permanent.

The ideal candidate is a healthy, nonsmoking man who wants modest gains in penis girth. It’s important to have realistic expectations about what the procedure can achieve: an increase of about 1.5” in circumference, on average. 

This penis enlargement procedure can be performed on circumcised and uncircumcised men. 

Penis augmentation is not a treatment for medical issues like erectile dysfunction, the inability to get or maintain an erection. 

In the aforementioned study of men who had HA fillers, satisfaction scores for penile appearance and sexual performance significantly increased for six months before gradually decreasing as results waned.

Penile augmentation with HA fillers is a quick (30 minutes), noninvasive in-office procedure. You’ll start with a consultation to discuss your desired result, the type of filler your provider will use, and how much they expect to inject. Many providers use Juvéderm Voluma XC filler, the thickest gel with the most long-lasting result.

If you haven’t already discussed potential risks and gotten a full cost quote, this consult is the time to do it.

Here’s what to expect during your treatment:

• A topical anesthetic is applied to the penis about 30 minutes prior to the procedure, followed by lidocaine injections that numb the penis. 
• Your provider makes two small incisions that allow a very fine cannula, a blunt-ended instrument, to pass just under the skin to precisely inject the filler. Unlike shorter needles, which would require multiple insertion points, cannulas can reach multiple areas from one injection point. This reduces bruising and swelling. It also helps prevent damage to blood vessels that can restrict blood supply and lead to potentially serious complications. “Needles should never be used for injection” in the penis, warns Dr. Neavin.
• The amount of HA filler that’s injected is determined by a person’s aesthetic goals and their individual anatomy. According to Dr. Neavin, it will take at least five syringes to create a noticeable difference. An average-sized man often begins with 10 syringes. 

​​Post-treatment, the penis is wrapped for several days in a soft fabric dressing to minimize swelling, reduce filler migration and nodule formation, and maintain symmetry.

You may be able to return to work the following day, though you may want to take more time if your job is very physical. You can expect to have minor bruising and swelling for a few weeks.

To ease discomfort, put a cold pack wrapped in a towel on the area for 10 to 20 minutes at a time. (Note that this is only recommended after dermal filler injections. If you have fat injections, icing is not recommended because it can reduce fat cell viability.)

You’ll be encouraged to gently massage your penis, to help the filler to settle evenly and achieve a smooth result. HA fillers can migrate and clump and clump because the gel doesn’t incorporate into tissues the way fat cells can. “Fat can clump up as well, but because it’s living tissue, it can be managed more easily,” says Dr. Neavin. If you develop lumps or bumps of HA filler, fixes include injecting more filler or dissolving it with the enzyme hyaluronidase.

You’ll also need to abstain from sexual activity, including intercourse and masturbation, for at last a few days and ideally up to 2 weeks, when you’ve fully healed and the swelling is gone.

You’ll notice increased girth right away, but because HA filler expands as it attracts water, you’ll see your final result in 2 weeks. 

HA fillers dissolve over time, but your penis filler results should last 6 to 8 months before they gradually disappear.

The penis filler photos in our gallery have been shared by the provider who performed the procedure, with the patient's consent.

In the hands of an experienced provider, penile augmentation with HA fillers (or fat) is considered safe and effective. 

Complications tend to be mild and rare (occurring in 4.3% of patients in the aforementioned study), but they can happen. Risks include swelling, hypersensitivity, asymmetry, nodules, and penile disfigurement. “The risk of infection is very small, but not zero,” says Dr. Neavin. 

The biggest risk, he says, is improper injection technique or product. Filler injections with needles instead a cannula, or accidentally injecting into a blood vessel could cause a vascular occlusion. This rare but serious side effect can lead to skin necrosis (tissue death) or an embolism, which can be life-threatening.

Very long-acting products, such as liquid silicone or long-acting fillers (including heavily cross-linked, long-lasting HA products), may cause biofilm granulomas, a lump that can deform the penis. If they form, granulomas can very difficult to eliminate, especially in the case of silicone.

“Be sure you know what is being injected, and see someone experienced in penis filler injections,” Dr. Neavin advises. “This is not like facial fillers; the anatomy and technical nuance are much different.”