Penis implants are transforming patients in the worst ways

For some men whose penis size is a big source of insecurity, the implant device they turned to has changed their lives in the worst way.

In today’s day and age, many people turn to surgery in an attempt to “fix” an insecurity they have, but sometimes the consequences can be worse than what came before.

For many men who sought the implantation of a device named Penuma into their penis, that was certainly the case.

The device was created by Dr James Elist, a Beverly Hills urologist and is a silicone implant shaped like a hotdog bun. It is inserted under the skin of the penis to increase flaccid length and girth. In 2004, it was certified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

But, despite the FDA clearance, multiple men have spoken to ProPublica in conjunction with The New Yorker about how having the device installed, costing anywhere around $15,000, was one of the worst decisions they have made.

One man named Mick revealed that his penis went totally numb following the surgery, despite being told by Elist that the sensation would return over time.

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Despite a clause from the clinic discouraging it, Mick went online to see if others had recovered from the numbness but found no such luck.

He explained: “I was looking for people to tell me, ‘Oh, yeah, I waited three months, and now everything’s fine, I am very happy.’”

For others who had the device installed, it became detached and infected, while some buckled at the corners. The device also began to poke through the skin causing infections for some patients.

One man named Jackson, who received the procedure for free after winning a competition, was told his implant had fractured and was in pieces underneath his skin.

Many men have had what one described as the “life-­ruiner” Penuma device removed. Since 1993, the device’s creator Elist has had 23 malpractice lawsuits filed against him in Los Angeles.

London urologist, Gordon Muir, who has removed multiple Penuma implants, argued that in the first instance, “Most don’t have anything physically wrong with them at all, so what they don’t need is vultures preying on them, which is almost always a disaster”.

A spokesperson for Penuma told indy100: "Dr. Elist is a highly-skilled, world-renowned surgeon and inventor who pioneered the Penuma implant and penile enhancement procedure. Thousands of men have traveled from around the globe to his Beverly Hills clinic to undergo cosmetic surgery.

"As a result, men have regained their self-confidence in and out of the bedroom. As with any cosmetic surgery, there are potential risks and rare complications. The New Yorker cherry-picks and sensationalizes those few and conveniently ignores the vast majority of Dr. Elist's highly satisfied patients."

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