More and More Men Are Getting Penis Filler, but to What End?

Men aren't immune to the societal pressures to look good. Reddit forums abound with queries on hair transplant before and afters, and the exact Brad Pitt Fight Club workout. The superficial quest for perfection has driven them to the same lengths women have more ubiquitously taken. Men are increasingly using dermal fillers like Juvederm and Restylane to reverse the aging process, enhance their cheekbones, and sculpt Ryan Gosling-inspired jawlines. And now we've entered the era of penis filler.

The Rise of Male Enhancement Procedures

Non-invasive cosmetic procedures (e.g. Botox and fillers) in men have increased by 253 percent between 2019 and 2022, according to the American Academy of Plastic Surgeons.

Non-invasive means there’s no surgery involved, so you can optimize your jaw during your lunch break and stroll into your team meeting without missing a beat. 

They’re more accessible, less permanent (fillers can dissolved or wear off over time), and less cost-prohibitive than traditional plastic surgery. The next pioneer in male augmentation is using dermal filling—specifically hyaluronic acid, which experts tout as something that naturally occurs in the body—to enhance the penis.

More commonly, hyaluronic acid is used in lip and face filler. Certain facial features deemed universally attractive on the most beautiful women (cat-like eyes, high cheek bones, sloped noses, full lips) mimic the Golden Ratio of proportions. It's driven the phenomenon of "Instagram Face," wherein legions of women get the same cosmetic procedures and ultimately start to resemble each other.

Stereotypical masculine features go beyond a strong jawline. The quintessential "perfect body" is achievable with the right workout routine and discipline: broad shoulders, a V-tapered waist, a sculpted chest, and six-pack abs. 

Other markers, like height and penis size—the latter of which has spurred the ever-popular trope of big dick energy (BDE), alluding to a man's confidence and self-assurance—were always, to some degree, unalterable.

If you didn't have an above-average penis size, you could only exude the aura that you did. Until the advent of penis filler, that is.

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What Is Penis Filler?

“Penis filler is performed to make the penis thicker, heavier, and girthier,” says Chris Bustamante, DNP, NP-C, an aesthetic nurse practitioner known as InjectorChris on social media. Bustamante is the founder of Lushful Aesthetics, a Midtown Manhattan med spa unique in that men represent 95 percent of its clientele. Bustamante estimates 50 percent come in looking to buy some BDE. 

Penis filler is not a penis enlargement procedure. It can fall within the realm of male enhancement, but it's not increasing the length of a man’s penis. Let's repeat that: Penis filler will not make your penis longer.

There are procedures out there to do that, but those are surgical, the science around them is dubious, and the results are often very painful. However, they are becoming more popular. That, along with the penis filler boom, made the Sexual Medicine Society of North America put out a statement about male enhancement this past spring. 

The society decried that penile enhancement procedures have moved from “niche areas of sexual medicine” to “increasingly discussed within academic congresses due to the availability of novel techniques, therapies, and procedures.”

While Bustamante’s patients skewed high among porn stars, he says he's trying to destigmatize the procedure for the everyman looking to feel more confident.

What Is the Penis Filler Procedure Like?

“I always start with a thorough consultation to discuss the procedure in detail,” Bustamante says. He uses a 22 percent blunt-tipped micro-cannula to pierce the sides of the penis’s shaft, which he then uses to insert the filler. It's a blend of hyaluronic acid and calcium-based filler called Radiesse, which provides structure, support, and longevity to the filler blend. Bustamante just injects the sides, not the top, which he points out is naturally flat (penises shouldn’t be cylindric, he says). Then, the procedure starts.

“I perform a dorsal penile nerve block with lidocaine, then cover the penis and scrotum with topical numbing cream,” he explains. “By the time I'm done setting up and blending the filler, the patient is completely numb. I supply the patient with laughing gas to ease anxiety, and usually play some light music in the background.”

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The procedure takes about 10 to 15 minutes, with an additional 10 to 15 minutes if they're also partaking in ScroFill (scrotum filler). Bustamante estimates about 30 percent of patients do both.

Then, it’s on to aftercare. This includes not using your penis in any capacity except urinating for 48 hours, in addition to avoiding hot tubs, pools, saunas, or strenuous activities. There’s also a special massage one must do 15 minutes a day for three weeks to help avoid lumps and promote lymphatic drainage. He also brings his patients back for a three-week follow-up.

Without any additional treatments, Bustamante estimates the penis will return to its original size in about three years. However, patients who go back for touchups can gain thickness. While it will decrease over time, it’ll never go back to its original size, meaning they've achieved some degree of permanent girth enhancement, because of the collagen produced from Radiesse.

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The Stats and State of Penis Size Satisfaction

A number of studies have asked men to rate levels of satisfaction with their penis. One 2015 study published in the British Journal of Urology International polled over 15,500 men globally and found 55 percent were satisfied with their size. A more recent 2019 study published in JAMA Network Open surveyed just over 4,100 men in the U.S. and found roughly 26 percent were unhappy.

A 2006 Body Image Survey questioned 25,594 heterosexual men and 26,437 heterosexual women on their perceptions of penis size. While 66 percent of men said they had an average sized penis, 46 percent of them wanted it to be bigger. Overall, 45 percent of all men surveyed desired a larger penis, while 84 percent of women were very satisfied with their partner’s penis size.

The International Society for Sexual Medicine points to media and culture. Porn and proverbial locker room talk lend to feelings of inadequacy. Given the figures, it shouldn’t be surprising that penis filler is becoming increasingly trendy and working its way to becoming mainstream.

Like cosmetic work, it seems many men aren’t doing this for increased sexual prowess, though studies show sexual satisfaction will likely increase.

Bustamante's had a number of clients who are recent empty nesters who experience a revitalized sex life post-procedure. But it’s often about the confidence it instills in men, even if it’s just looking down at themselves in the shower.

And the cost? The average guy is dropping about $10,000 to experience notable growth. Confidence comes at a premium, though we'd argue doing the inner work of building up your self-assurance and self-worth through therapy will yield dividends in the long run that will far outlast any injectable.