Penile siliconoma: Complications of unregulated penile augmentation

April 20, 2019

Healthcaretoday, Penile girth, penile fillers, Penile Siliconoma, penile augmentation, penis size, penis, migrant workers,

"While lengthening procedures or male-to-female transitions are not permitted by authorities in Malaysia, the regulation of these procedures remains quite loose." - Dr Wan Syazli Rodzaian Wan Ahmad Kamal

By Dr Wan Syazli Rodzaian Wan Ahmad Kamal,
Plastic & Aesthetic Surgeon,
UITM Private Specialist Centre

There isn’t a man who hasn’t wished his penis were an inch or two longer. Despite the many supposed options available that offer modest benefits yet carry serious side effects, such as erectile dysfunction, size-obsessed men continue to pursue questionable treatments on a vital part of their anatomy, risking a lot in the process.

The obsession with a larger penis and its close relation to a person’s ego and self-image affects many men around the world. In modern society, various advanced penile augmentation methods are available in medical centers, provided by trained medical professionals. However, this involves screening, examination, and counseling to discourage patients with normal penile size and function from undergoing such procedures due to potential complications.

While lengthening procedures or male-to-female transitions are not permitted by authorities in Malaysia, the regulation of these procedures remains quite loose. Many men, especially foreign workers from Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal, request to increase girth rather than length—often by injecting silicone around the penis to make it thicker.

This has led many to seek alternative treatments from unregulated practices, often performed by non-medical practitioners in non-sterile environments. They inject foreign substances into the penile skin to increase its size. Materials such as paraffin, silicone, mineral oils, and collagen are widely used for this purpose; however, many end up developing serious reactions to these substances.

This causes a lot of complications—the silicone can seep through, moving beneath the skin and resulting in Penile Siliconoma, which requires the removal of the entire skin and a skin graft.

Sclerosing lipogranuloma resulting from penile augmentation
Sclerosing lipogranuloma is an uncommon condition of the male genitalia that presents as a firm, tender subcutaneous mass formed by the presence of either exogenous or endogenous lipomatous substances. The common exogenous lipid degeneration is caused by the injection of foreign materials into the subcutaneous tissue during penile augmentation, leading to the formation of inflammatory granulomas that present as hard subcutaneous masses.