You may wake up one morning and realize that your penis is getting smaller, and with time, you are convinced that it is getting shorter by the day. After a while, if nothing is done, your penis disappears completely.
Now, this is going to come as a shocking nightmare to you, but it is a medical condition, and what’s more, doctors see more and more of these cases every day.
An inverted penis, commonly referred to as “buried penis” happens when the penis is covered by excess skin in the scrotum, abdomen, or thigh.
The scrotum is the sac underneath the penis that supports and holds the testicles.
Usually, this condition doesn’t affect the size of the penis, as it is always the standard size, but it is just hidden.
Causes of Inverted/Hidden Penis
There are several factors responsible for an inverted penis. Sometimes, it can be present from birth, and other times, it might develop in the future. However, this condition is more diagnosed in infants than older men. The most common cause is obesity, and this is when an overlying suprapubic abdominal fat surrounds and covers the penis, and it can lead to a moisty warm area that can be hard to clean. This can further lead to infection and fungal growth; it can even cause skin breakdown.
Few of the most common causes of this condition include:
• Morbid Obesity: This is a condition that causes excess fat to build up around the genital area and abdomen. This can cause the penis to be hidden, even in plain sight.
• Lymphedema: This is a medical condition that causes the area surrounding the scrotum to swell as a result of accumulated lymph fluid.
• Certain abnormalities are present in birth, such as weak ligaments connecting the penis to underlying structures.
• Complications following a circumcision process. If too much foreskin is cut off during circumcision, it can cause scarring. This constriction can make the penis stuck in the remaining foreskin. When you have an inverted penis as a result of circumcision gone wrong, it can cause a painful erection, due to the pulling on the scar tissue. This is more common with men who get circumcised when they are adults.
• Infection: Recurrent scrotal infection can lead to scarring and might make the skin of the shaft to contract.
Buried/inverted penis isn’t yet proven to be a genetic condition; neither does it have anything to do with your level of hormones.
How Does Obesity Cause Inverted/Buried Penis
First, you should know that the penis has two erection chambers. One-third of the chambers are positioned inside the body and two-third are positioned in the penile shaft.
When you are obese, there is usually a change in how much of your penis is inside and outside your body, so this basically what causes the difference in length.
If you are overly obese, then your body would end up engulfing the penis. You would have a fully inverted penis when your entire penis shaft is covered underneath the surface of the skin. The fat of the penis is what’s covering the penis, your penis is still there, but you cannot see it. Even if your penis is still intact, an inverted penis can cause some problems for you.
Other reasons can cause your penis to be shorter other than you being morbidly obese. In radical prostatectomy, men can lose about an inch in length of their penis, because the urethra is pulled up so it can be connected to the bladder. Still, in most cases, after a prostatectomy, your penis can go back to the normal length, so it’s best to check out your prostate if need be.
Peyronie’s disease can also cause your penis to look inverted, shorter, and become curvy. This would not only cause sex to be difficult but having an erection can sometimes be a tough deal. Certain drugs can be used to reduce the scar tissue, and some drugs can also be injected into the penis to ease the pain. However, if the problem is severe, surgery may need to be done.
Complications
An inverted penis can cause urinating problems, and sometimes urine might end up splashing on the thighs and scrotum, and this would further lead to skin irritation or urinary tract infection. It’s very hard for this area to stay clean, so when you urinate, it’s possible to urinate all over your body.
The skin of the penis is also at risk of becoming inflamed, and infections like Balanitis can occur. This infection is also common when you have poor hygiene.
It can also be challenging to have an erection is your penis is inverted, and even if you end up having one, it would be challenging to engage in sexual activities.
Due to all of these, psychological problems such as anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression can happen.
Aside from the psychological impact, inverted penises can be problematic, having sex can be very difficult. Although there are so many ways to have a satisfying sex life, other than penetrative sex, it gives a certain kind of feeling.
Diagnosis
An inverted penis can be diagnosed with just a physical examination by your healthcare practitioner. Your doctor would be able to tell the difference between an inverted penis and other medical conditions such as micropenis – having a small penis. If you notice anything awkward about your penis, then you should see your doctor immediately.
Treatment
To fully rectify this condition, surgery is usually carried out. However, in younger infants, there is a high percentage that it can correct itself without any medical intervention.
If you are morbidly obese, it might help a bit if you could shed off the extra pounds of fat, but it won’t still be enough to treat this condition.
Surgical options to correct this condition include:
• Suction lipectomy: This is a type of surgery that involves the use of catheters to suck out the fat cells that are surrounded under the skin close to the penis.
• Carrying out skin grafts to close up the area of the skin that needs to be covered, and this method is used when the circumcision process goes wrong – if too much skin was cut off.
• Abdominoplasty is the process that involves a cosmetic surgical procedure to remove excess tummy fat. Most times, this procedure is called “tummy tuck.”
• Panniculectomy is a surgical process that involves removing the pannus, which is the excess skin that is on the thighs or over the genitals.
• Removing the ligaments that connect the tip of the penis to the pubic bone.
• Escutheonectomy involves removing the pad of fat that is positioned on top of the pubic area.
You might also need to use antibiotics, especially if you already have an infection in your genital area. Plus, you might need to see a psychologist if you feel this condition has greatly affected your self-esteem and sexual life.
To get a more effective and better result, it’s best to carry out this surgery at a younger age. Because the more you get older, you begin to have less frequent erections, and the risk of fat accumulation in the genital area is increased, making it more difficult to carry out surgical operation.
Outlook
When a successful surgery is carried out, it can lead to a huge difference in the life of a person with the condition. Urination and sexual problems are usually eliminated. If skin grafting is carried out, in a few weeks, it would be fully healed, and the appearance of the penis would be next.
Once this condition has been treated successfully, it is very unlikely for it to re-occur. However, if obesity played a role in developing this condition, then it’s best to maintain a healthy lifestyle so that you can have a normal weight after the surgery.
Also, make sure you discuss possible side effects with your doctor based on the treatments carried out.
However, if you still feel unsure about the size of your penis, then there are other ways to increase the size.
Penile Implant
Your doctor can increase your penis size by using a silicone implant to make it bigger. There is a possibility of you gaining about 1.5 inches in length after this surgical operation; however, it is a costly surgery to undergo.
You should know that getting a penile implant is similar to having a permanent erection, and this can be quite uncomfortable and even restrain movement. You can imagine going for an early morning jog with an erect penis…
Fat injections
With this procedure, your doctor can liposuction the fat in your body and transfer it to the shaft of your penis. Most times, you would end up having a heavier penis, with just maybe an inch increase in length. You should also know that your penis can shrink back to its original length after a while.
Conclusion
An inverted penis can affect your sexual arousal, and sometimes urination. Also, it can affect you psychologically and even cause you embarrassment. However, it can be easily rectified with surgery.
You should speak to your doctor and discuss the best treatment plan to take.
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