Matt was just one of dozens of men unhappy with their penises who sought genital enhancement surgery as a solution.
But his dream treatment turned into an agonizing wreck, with the 46-year-old telling MailOnline it felt as though a “broomstick” had been implanted in his now misshapen penis.
In the end, the military veteran, from Utah, would have to pay around £250,000 to correct the left ‘Frankenstein’ surgery.
And he is not alone. Dozens of other men are seeking equally dangerous treatments in search of the perfect penis, driven by feelings of insecurity in their appearance or inappropriateness in the bedroom.
For some, the quest to have a longer, thicker, or more aesthetically pleasing organ has backfired.
Clinics that specialize in such procedures a menu of treatments that men looking for a bigger package can choose from
Matt, 46, from Utah, paid £12,500 for a Penuma implant which he claimed left him in excruciating pain and was removed five months later.
Another man described how silicone implant fractures were found floating inside his shaft just five years after his surgery.
Clinics that specialize in such procedures can choose from a menu of treatments for men looking for a bigger package.
One option, called the Penuma implant, is a silicone shell that is surgically inserted into the penis, similar to some breast implants.
Other treatments involve cutting an internal ligament in the groin area to make the penis appear longer, while others inject substances such as collagen gel and hyaluronic acid to thicken the penis.
Industry insiders saw a post-pandemic boom in penile enhancement surgeries that they say is linked to increased porn consumption and WFH policies that allow patients to recuperate quietly at home.
It’s not just about size. Some men, like Matt, are simply looking for a more aesthetically pleasing penis.
After being unhappy with a slight left curve, the 46-year-old thought a £12,500 implant would solve all his genital problems.
The military veteran, from Utah, was left with ‘devastating’ damage after the procedure in September 2019 failed.
Since then, he has had to shell out more than £250,000 on additional procedures to regain his “manhood”, and five months later the Penuma device was removed.
Matt, who did not want to share his last name, claimed his girlfriend said his penis “felt like a steak knife when he had sex” afterward.
He said it made his penis more ‘deformed’ and left him feeling like ‘Frankenstein’s monster’, in excruciating pain and nowhere to go.
“I felt like a broom handle had been implanted inside my penis,” he told MailOnline.
“I was pacing my apartment every night in pain.
‘You don’t feel like you can have a sexual or intimate partner or experiment with the person you love.
‘You feel distant, you feel separate, you feel completely alone.’
He said that after the operation, the swelling and pain did not go away and that he could feel it getting worse every day as the weeks went by.
Matt said the swelling got so bad that his girlfriend, who is a registered nurse, was forced to drain 230ml of fluid from his swollen penis.
But, his problems did not end after the implant was gone.
Matt said scar tissue had formed over his penis as a result of the procedure, restricting blood flow and preventing it from stretching and expanding during an erection. He also left him in agony.
This led him to ‘fly around the world’ to find a reconstructive surgeon who could help him.
After an ordeal, Matt said his penis now looks “okay” and he achieved his original goal of removing the curve.
Unlike Matt, Emmanuel Jackson didn’t pay to get a bigger penis. Instead, he won free surgery in 2013.
Matt, who did not want to share his last name, claimed his girlfriend said his penis “felt like a steak knife when she had sex” afterward.
But ecstasy turned to agony after the former model, then 26, was left with fractures to the silicone implant inside his penis.
For five years he did not report any problems. But, in 2018, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic told him that her implant had fractured into pieces that were floating under her skin.
Such extreme pain even led Emmanuel to attempt suicide, according to ProPublica.
Penuma implants can have dangerous side effects, experts say. A surgeon warned that they can become infected and kill the skin around the penis.
Professor Amr Raheem of International Andrology said: “In severe cases of infection, there may be necrosis or death of the penile skin covering the implant.”
“This is a serious complication that requires immediate attention and probably removal of the implant to control infection and prevent further tissue damage.”
He added that those seeking a longer penis with the implant may, ironically, suffer the opposite fate, depending on how he heals.
Called retraction, this causes the tissue around the penis to contract as it heals during the healing process of the incision.
Penuma implants are the only FDA-approved penile implant surgery and are only available in the US.
MailOnline has reached out to Penuma for comment.
Around 45 percent of men in the UK are dissatisfied with the size of their penis, according to the NHS.
The health service says that the average size of an adult penis is 3 to 4 inches when flaccid and 6 to 7 inches when erect.
Two different types of penis enlargement procedures are available on the NHS and they include lengthening and widening.
But, only men with a micropenis, an organ smaller than 2.8 inches, are eligible.
Micropenises usually develop in the womb from a hormonal or genetic condition and are usually diagnosed shortly after birth.
