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How Do Penis Extenders Really Work For Male Penile Enlargement?

Is Penile Enlargement Really Possible With The Top Penis Stretcher Devices? Reviews Of The Best Traction Device For Size Increase, Male Enhancement And Erectile Dysfunction.
Shahrokh Shariat, MD
Senior Editor & Writer

Prof. Shariat has published over 1400 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals. In 2014 he received the Matula Award from the European Society of Urology (EAU), and in 2017 the Gold Cystoscope Award from the American Society of Urology, probably the most important urologist award worldwide.

Here are reviews of the best traction device for penile size increase, male enhancement, and erectile dysfunction.

While that title will probably flag this article in every male enhancement pill spam filter designed by man, it’s also true. Research by doctors on the Jes Extender suggests a penis extender device for your penis can enlarge the soft penile length of your penis by as much as one inch.1

Tests were done using the Jes Extender, a penile extender, or ‘traction device’, for those that want to make it sound scientific, which according to the manufacturers should be used for a minimum of six hours each day for six months or more to get the promised results.

Doctors say it is both efficient and safe, and that extensive use can increase the size of your erection and even improve your erectile function.2 Should you want to read the results for yourself, they are available from the American Urological Association and BJU International, March issue. (That’s the British Journal of Urology of course).3

So while it does mildly resemble a torture device fresh out of the medieval ages – is this the penile extender you’ve been looking for? Well…yes. Maybe.

The evolution of penis stretchers has reached a stage where the companies are now focused on comfort, thus wearing it would be less torturous and better results could be achieved. One such penis enlargement device is known as Sizegenetics comes with a 58-way comfort system. Another is Male Edge which is slightly cheaper.

Research is on the up

While in the past you might have been more likely to read about a penile extender in a top-shelf men’s magazine more and more research is being done within the scientific community.

Many men would want to have a bit of extra length (even though a very high percentage of us are reasonable and can copulate just fine).

The name given to anxiety over length is penile dysmorphophobia, which has been becoming more and more common, presumably also within the scientific community judging by the increased amount of studies done on the subject.4

While data is somewhat sparse, it is accepted that the typical penis length when flaccid is approximately 3 inches, and anywhere between 1 and 4 inches are average. Regardless of penis size, when soft, the average length when erect is about 5 or 6 inches.5

As men compare more and more through social media, men’s magazines, and watching unusually proportioned porn stars, surgical procedures and other methods designed to increase length are becoming more and more popular. Penis enlargement surgery is risky, though, and historically has come with colossal rates of dissatisfaction, so unless you truly have a micro-penis, most urologists are against opting for surgery.6

Hoping to find a solution that works for men with a penis that is smaller than 1 and a half inches when not erect and no more than 2.75” erect penis, an intrepid band of scientists led by Wendy Hurn, a urologist, along with others at the Bristol Royal Infirmary Hospital based in the United Kingdom decided to put the claims of one commercial penile extender to the test.7

Science to the rescue

Wendy Hurn (pictured to the right) started her research by recruiting 15 men highly motivated to increase their length.

They would make use of the Jes Extender as per the manufacturer’s guidelines – that’s six hours a day for a minimum of six months. Sticking strictly to the manufacturer’s guidelines the tension used by the device is gradually increased, starting at 1.30 pounds and going up to as much as 2.6 lbs.

Subjects were measured regularly throughout the test and also measured six months later, after the trial ended, to see if the results stayed or disappeared.

Even six months later, after the penile traction device had stopped being used, results showed some significant successes. On average the men had gained about 0.9” and 32% in flaccid penis length, and approximately an extra half an inch when erect, which shows that these devices could improve erection size.

Hurn indicated that the improvements were made regardless of starting size, so both those with a very small penis and those with a more average penis (yet still suffering from penile dysmorphophobia) gained benefits.

Despite positive results, they didn’t quite line up with the manufacturer’s claims. Jes Extender markets the device as being able to give an average increase of 1.3” to an erection as well as a thicker girth. With only a half-inch gain to an erection and no perceived change in circumference, the results cannot be said to live up to the hype, although they are still positive.

The scientific journal does not indicate as to whether the men’s partners had gained any extra pleasure from the change.

Still a stretch of the imagination?

A half an inch increase in length to your erection is certainly a positive result – but is it worth stretching your penis in a device resembling torture equipment for six hours each day for six months?

Urologists themselves wince at the idea as many of their patients are people who have caused damage to their penis, quite often permanently, through too much stretching penis exercise or the use of other devices such as a vacuum penis pump. Both methods can result in penile fractures or the bursting of blood vessels if not careful, however with careful use they can be quite effective.8

Hurn has gone on record to say that a gradual stretching could be a safe method of increasing penis length – just as other skin tissue can be stretched in procedures for cosmetic reasons such as breast enhancements.

Hurn’s next study will be investigating the effect of Peyronie’s disease (curved penis) and the effects penile extenders can have. A small earlier study recently written in the Journal of Sexual Medicine indicated that the use of a penile extender could both decrease curvature and increase size.

For those of you thinking of trying the device yourself, Hurn gives one last warning – do not wear the device while sleeping in case you roll over and cause yourself one of the painfully sounding “penile fractures”.

Hurn also warns that other products such as testosterone boosters, creams, and supplements marketed to increase length and size are unlikely to have any effect and may even be dangerous. However other research indicates otherwise, but consider yourself warned.

UPDATE: Since this article refers to the conventional penile stretcher devices, it is advised that you do not sleep in the device. However, a new type of stretcher that uses both penis traction forces in conjunction with vacuum forces is ideal for wearing to sleep.

The best penis extender is called the Phallosan Forte and has also been tested and had the results published in the Journal of Urology.9 Furthermore, it has been awarded FDA clearance. Click here to read a Phallosan Forte review. An Alternative To Phallosan is the Penimaster Pro with positive results reported in studies.10

Sources

Body Freedom exclusively utilizes the best quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts in our content. Read our editorial process to learn more regarding our fact-checking to maintain the accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness of our content.

  1. Austoni, E., A. Guarneri, and G. Gatti. “Penile elongation and thickening—a myth? Is there a cosmetic or medical indication?.Andrologia 31.S1 (1999): 45-51.
  2. Nikoobakht M, Shahnazari A, Rezaeidanesh M, Mehrsai A, Pourmand G. Effect of penile-extender device in increasing penile size in men with shortened penis: preliminary results. J Sex Med. 2011;8(11):3188-3192. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01662.x
  3. Oderda M, Gontero P. Non-invasive methods of penile lengthening: fact or fiction?. BJU Int. 2011;107(8):1278-1282. doi:10.1111/j.1464-410X.2010.09647.x
  4. Nowroozi, Mohammad Reza, et al. “Applying extender devices in patients with penile dysmorphophobia: assessment of tolerability, efficacy, and impact on erectile function.The journal of sexual medicine 12.5 (2015): 1242-1247.
  5. King, Bruce M. “Average-size erect penis: Fiction, fact, and the need for counseling.Journal of sex & marital therapy 47.1 (2020): 80-89.
  6. Soave, Armin, et al. “Negative Self-Perception and Self-Attitude of Sexuality Is a Risk Factor for patient dissatisfaction following penile surgery with small intestinal submucosa grafting for the treatment of severe peyronie’s disease.Journal of Clinical Medicine 8.8 (2019): 1121.
  7. Hurn, Wendy, and Bristol Royal. “Peyronies disease: latest treatment options.
  8. Osadchinskiy, A. E., I. S. Pavlov, and S. V. Kotov. “Justification of vacuum prophylaxis as part of the penile rehabilitation in patients after nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy.Vestnik Urologii 9.4 (2021): 87-94.
  9. Sohn, M., and W. Hanikel. “Prospektive Studie zur Erfolgsevaluation des Phallosan-Stretchsystems bei Wunsch nach nichtoperativer Penisaugmentation.Aktuelle Urologie 37.S 1 (2006): V95.
  10. Moncada, Ignacio, et al. “Penile traction therapy with the new device ‘Penimaster PRO’is effective and safe in the stable phase of Peyronie’s disease: a controlled multicentre study.BJU Int 123.4 (2019): 694-702.