The Penuma Penile Implant by Dr. James Elist
Introducing the Unique Penuma Penile Implant
The development of the Penuma implant is by far one of my proudest professional achievements. I developed Penuma, the first penile implant for aesthetic enhancement to receive FDA clearance, as a direct outgrowth of two of my greatest passions in life: surgery and urology.
Becoming a surgeon had always been a dream of mine ever since I was a child, and it quickly became one of my chief goals when I first began to study medicine. I was in awe of the immediacy of the results that could be achieved with surgery, an immediacy that simply could not be replicated in any other fields of medicine. When a doctor treats a patient with high blood pressure, diabetes, or other similar ailments, the courses of treatment generally tend to present themselves gradually. Alternatively, with surgery — most of the time — the results are in by the end of the proverbial day.
Applying my surgical training to urology has given me the unique opportunity to be able to treat male infertility and sexual dysfunction in a way that has improved the lives of thousands of men ever since I first opened my practice in 1982 in Beverly Hills. Nothing can be more rewarding for a doctor and a surgeon than to have former patients and their partners reach out to say how their lives were changed for the better thanks to the treatment they received at my clinic. In many cases, those thanks were received due to my development of the Penuma implant.
A Urologist and Surgeon’s Skepticism
I developed the Penuma implant in the course of my research into male sexual dysfunction, specifically for an effective solution for men who were dissatisfied with the size of their penises. One of the driving factors behind the R&D effort that culminated in Penuma was my skepticism as a urologist and a surgeon with the deeply unsatisfactory penile enhancement treatments that were available to men at that time.
The most common penile enhancement procedure back then relied on the use of autologous fat or gel injection and the division of the suspensory ligament. Those procedures would often leave patients more frustrated after the operation than they had been prior to undergoing the procedure. The treatment provided only a temporary solution to those men’s problem since one of the biggest problems with fat and/or gel injections is that those substances ultimately become absorbed by the body over time, leaving the individual with little to show after having undergone the operation. Overall, I found the results unacceptable from an aesthetic standpoint. Fat and gel injections often produce lumps and nodules on different parts of the penis. The division of the suspensory ligament would often form scar tissue at the base of the penis, thus causing the penis to retract and to be even shorter than before.
I fully concur with the American Urological Association, which defined those procedures as substandard. It was precisely my skepticism with those inadequate procedures and their unsatisfactory results that prompted me to do the research that ultimately led to the development of the Penuma implant.
Penuma’s Remarkable Advantages
Penuma is a medical-grade silicone implant. It should be noted, however, that the implant is removable, if so desired. Penuma is manufactured at an FDA-registered and an ISO-certified facility. It is made out of medical-grade soft silicone to yield a natural and smooth feel and look. As opposed to other options, a large retrospective study found that Penuma did not interfere with penile function. There are no incisions on the penile skin (a small incision is made in the scrotum to insert the implant). Another distinct advantage is that the Penuma implant is contoured by the surgeon to each patient’s individual size and needs.
Other significant advantages of choosing the Penuma implant include the relative brevity of the procedure itself, which typically lasts between 45 minutes to an hour, and is typically done in an outpatient facility. Patients can resume to their routine daily activities within two to four days. Still another benefit to choosing Penuma is that it can be performed before or after a penile prosthesis procedure to treat erectile dysfunction.
It is important to note that it is critical that patients follow the pre-operative and post-operative instructions, which are explained in detail to each patient. As part of the process before surgery, patients will discuss the potential complications, risks, benefits, and alternatives of this procedure, including not doing surgery at all. They will also discuss the real underlying reasons for their desire to have the surgery and will often be referred to a good sex therapist, which has familiarity with this procedure, so as to ensure that they are an appropriate candidate for the procedure. As with any surgical procedure, individual results can vary.
Based on the rigorous research we have done into Penuma over the years, we have seen high patient satisfaction rates. Of note, a retrospective analysis conducted in 2018 on 400 patients on whom the surgery was performed over the course of five years demonstrated significant improvements in penis girth, namely a 56.7% increase, as well as high, sustained levels of self-confidence and self-esteem. In addition, a study in 2019 regarding retractile penis and/or prepubic recession showed that the procedure improved the retractile penis, with the patients reporting an increase in self-confidence and self-esteem a year subsequent to the surgery.
Breaking the Taboo
Penuma has taken huge strides forward from the time when it was first developed, and I am proud to see the advances it has made. I am particularly proud of its exceptional track record among former patients and their partners, who overwhelmingly have reported satisfaction and effectiveness. It is thanks to the advances that we have made and its successful track record that it has become increasingly prevalent as a preferred solution for men who require aesthetic penile enhancement across the United States. My vision for Penuma is to have it cross borders and come to be used by surgeons around the world.
Alongside that goal of seeing Penuma being used internationally, I also hope that the conversation about penile enlargement and enhancement comes to evolve somewhat in the years ahead. When breast implants were first presented as a solution, the issue was often considered taboo in broad circles of society. But just as the conversation about breast implants has shifted in the interim, allowing women to speak openly and proudly about having had that procedure, I hope a similar level of openness will develop surrounding penile enhancements, with Penuma having led the way. I hope that men come to develop a willingness to speak proudly and openly about their experience with penis enhancement surgery.
Please note that the above post is for informational purposes only, and it should not be used for diagnosis, medical advice, or treatment. Always consult with your medical professional first.
