Until recently, if you felt insecure about your penis size, whether it was a concern with girth or length, options were limited unless you were willing to go under the knife. Penile enlargement surgery and implants were the main solutions, but these procedures were intense and not widely popular. Between 2006 and 2010, just 8.1 per cent of men worldwide opted for these sorts of invasive treatments. Now, however, one advent in cosmetic procedures is dramatically changing the game: penis filler.
Dermal fillers you’d usually see used to plump lips or define jaw lines are now being injected into penises and it’s becoming an increasingly popular treatment across the world, especially in cities like London and New York. Lushful Aesthetics, a leading clinic in New York City, reported a 200 per cent year-on-year increase in requests for penis fillers in 2023, with even more demand expected in 2024. The procedure, which lasts approximately 18 months and costs around £3,000 per session, now accounts for 50 per cent of the clinic’s over $2 million revenue, with clients spanning all sexual orientations. Dr David Shafer, a renowned plastic surgeon who developed a specific technique for penis fillers known as the Shafer Width and Girth (SWAG) procedure, confirms that demand is up. He tells Dazed that he’s seen a 300 per cent increase in enquiries at his clinic over the last two years.
So what is driving this surge? It may reflect a broader cultural shift, where men are becoming more open to discussing and pursuing cosmetic enhancements to address concerns about their appearance. Whether you love or hate the rising popularity of fillers, they exist because society encourages us to feel bad about our appearances and spend money on “fixing” them through surgery and “non-invasive” procedures. Up until now, that’s been a largely female market pool. Over seven million “tweakments” — cosmetic procedures that don’t involve surgery — are performed annually in the United States, with the vast majority of customers being women.
Yet it shouldn’t be a surprise that men are joining in. Men are facing increasing pressure and anxiety around body image, with one study finding around 30 per cent of men are dissatisfied with their penis size. That’s why 33-year-old Christopher, a DJ, got penis filler. He tells Dazed he wanted filler because he was “sick of having a shit dick” after an ex-girlfriend “took the piss” out of it. “I’ve had no problem with length, but I don’t feel like my girth matches, and it makes my dick look thin,” he explains. “I just wanted it to look normal.”
Christopher had the procedure done in London and says it was a positive experience overall. “I spent a lot of money – five grand I think – but it paid off. I’ve got a nice penis now,” he laughs. “There’s this tiny bit of shame lingering though. It didn’t exactly fix the body confidence problems because now I have a complex about having to get a treatment to be on the same level as other men.” Christopher is not alone in this sentiment, and it’s one that has sex and relationships therapist Sofie Roos feeling concerned. She says that she’s worried that “the cosmetic industry [is opening people up to have] complexes about their dick.” It’s possible penis fillers could go in a similar direction to labiaplasties, with a direct correlation between insecurity and treatment pursuits.
The demographic for penis fillers is surprisingly broad. Dr Shafer initially expected the majority of his clients to be those with below-average size. “A lot of the men who come in already have average sized or even large penises and just want to make them even bigger, though.” This makes sense, since 45 per cent of men would like to have a larger penis, even if their size already falls within the average range.
This was the situation for sex columnist Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto, who has undergone the procedure despite being happy with his size. He didn’t have to pay for his treatment as it was gifted. “While I’m mostly happy with my size, I won’t say no to increasing its girth for free! I’m also just genuinely obsessed with body modification and find it fascinating, so I wanted to give it a whirl,” he says. For Zane, the results have been positive, particularly in boosting his confidence. “I feel more confident because I am bigger. It also ‘hangs’ lower when soft, which I appreciate since I’ve always been a grower and not a shower.” However, Zane admits that if he had to pay for the procedure, which costs $6,100, he likely wouldn’t do it again. This highlights a key issue with penis fillers: the expense. Dr Shafer says his patients “could pay anywhere from $10,000 to up to $100,000 depending on how much filler they put in.”
There’s also the worry of the procedure still being new and, therefore, relatively unresearched territory. “I’m not sure they’d risk it for a less socially loaded body insecurity,” Roos says. It’s easy to see her concerns when using fillers on the penis has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but Dr Schafer is aiming to change this by working on his own FDA study, though this will take some years. He argues that, despite safety concerns, the procedure is relatively straightforward. “It’s the same concept as the filler we put in lips or cheeks,” he says.
The fillers used are primarily hyaluronic acid-based, a substance naturally found in the body and enhanced in the lab for cosmetic use. For penis fillers, a thicker form, such as Juvéderm® Voluma XC, is often used to increase girth and slightly lengthen over time. Dr Schafer believes the popularity of penis fillers is due to their reversibility. “If you don’t like it or have complications, we can dissolve it.” This flexibility isn’t available with longer-lasting biostimulatory fillers like Sculptra or Bellafill, which can’t be easily dissolved, making hyaluronic acid fillers safer for those hesitant about permanent changes.
Despite the growing popularity, the procedure carries risks. Common concerns include swelling, bruising, and contour abnormalities, though these are generally manageable. The most serious complication arises if the filler is accidentally injected into a blood vessel, blocking blood flow to the skin – a known issue with fillers in any body area including the face. This is why Dr Shafer stresses the importance of choosing an experienced practitioner. “A big part of my practice now is fixing results from other injectors,” he says. “You shouldn’t go to just anyone for this. You need someone who knows penile enlargement specifically – it’s a different process.”
Whether motivated by a desire to boost confidence, enhance sexual experiences, or keep up with perceived ideals, it’s clear penis fillers are here to stay. It is also clear that the need for regulation is bigger than ever, as is the need for us to address the growing body image insecurities and pressure on everyone to have a ”perfect” body.
