Micropenis Facts

While many men hold a belief that their penis is too small, it is not commonly known that this problem could be an actual medical condition known as micropenis. This condition can cause several moderate or severe complications and is certainly not to be taken lightly in cases that have been properly diagnosed. Fortunately, help is available through Houston male cosmetic surgery. Penis enlargement surgery is usually very useful in alleviating the symptoms of micropenis permanently, but surgery should not be undergone unless nonsurgical methods have been deemed inappropriate. Penis lengthening through hormone treatment and manual manipulation should be tried first or used in conjunction with male cosmetic surgery.

Defining Micropenis

Just because a man may believe that he has a small penis, it does not mean that he suffers from micropenis, which is specifically defined by the medical community. The most accurate method of diagnosing micropenis is through a simple measurement. An erect penis, when measured along the top, that is 2.5 standard deviations or more from the mean penis length can almost always be considered a micropenis. In the United States, this works out to 2.8 inches in length or shorter.

Most often, micropenis is diagnosed in infancy long before a male reaches adulthood. The average penis length of a newborn male is from 1.1 inches to 1.6 inches in length when gently stretched, and any newborn with a penis less than 0.75 inches long is classified as having micropenis.

Causes of Micropenis

Micropenis is primarily a genetic condition that presents itself during gestation, but it may be caused by several different congenital defects. In one such genetic anomaly, the SRD5A2 gene does not produce enough of the enzyme 5-alpha reductase 2, which is responsible for converting testosterone into the more potent hormone dihydrotestosterone.

New research also suggests that micropenis may also be caused by external factors. Some of these environmental factors work indirectly by affecting the genes while others, such as pesticide exposure, may directly cause malformations in the penis.

Complications from Micropenis

Micropenis can cause several physiological and psychological complications. Males suffering from this condition are often unable to urinate properly, and if it persists into adulthood, micropenis may affect a man’s ability to engage in sexual intercourse. In addition, micropenis has been associated with decreased fertility or complete infertility. Men suffering from micropenis also commonly experience psychological problems, which are directly caused by the condition. Among these problems are low self-esteem and depression.

Micropenis Treatment

Traditionally, micropenis has been treated by surgical gender reassignment at birth. Parents would be advised by the doctor to have the procedure performed and then raise the child as female even though he would be genetically male. Today, many organizations consider this traditional treatment to be a form of child abuse, and one of two other approaches are usually recommended by doctors: hormone therapy or penis enlargement surgery.

Because most cases of micropenis are caused by hormonal imbalance, it is possible to reverse or stop the condition from progressing through hormone treatment. However, this must usually be accomplished while the male is still in infancy. The initial testosterone treatment is brief, but it is then resumed during adolescence to ensure maximum effectiveness. However, even with this two-step process, hormone therapy is rarely enough to bring penis size up to the average.

In adults, the prescribed treatment for micropenis is male cosmetic surgery, and several surgical techniques have been designed specifically to treat the condition. All of these techniques are forms of phalloplasty, which involves grafting skin from elsewhere on the body to the penis after an inflatable prosthetic device is implanted in it. Studies have found that these procedures can treat micropenis with virtually no short-term or long-term consequences.