What is jelqing? All you need to know about at-home penis enlargement

7 min readDec 28, 2018

Men turn to drastic measures to increase the size of their penis — but is this non-surgical exercise actually safe? Medical professionals weigh in

Porn star Tyson Glover. | Photo: Randy Blue

‘I’ve seen an awful lot of penises over the years,’ Wendy Hurn warned.

In fact, she’s seen so many penises, she earned herself the nickname Willy Wendy. Hurn works as a urology nurse practitioner in Bristol, UK, and she jokes she’s probably seen ‘more penises than the average sex worker’.

But she’ll never get used to seeing the many different ways people try to increase the length and girth of their penises.

It’s a process known as jelqing and Hurn has plenty of horror stories to share. All anonymously, of course.

‘I had a young man who was probably doing it 30 to 40 times a day,’ Hurn told Gay Star News. ‘Then when it wasn’t working, he started to use two pieces of wood to try and pull the penis.

‘He was actually rubbing himself on the carpet all the time too,’ she recalled.

She said the desire to want bigger penises can affect all men, but particularly men within the LGBTI community.

She said: ‘I see a lot of gay and bisexual men wanting bigger penises.’ And there’s evidence to suggest why.

A recent study found one in five gay men have rejected a guy based on their penis size. The researchers of the study also said the vast majority of men seeking penis enlargement surgery have average-sized penises.

The scientists suggest these men may be suffering from a form of body dysmorphia.

‘Most patients who seek penile augmentation have normal penile length and anatomy,’ they wrote in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

So what is jelqing?

Jelqing is the term for a number of at-home penis enlargement exercises.

It’s the process of using your thumb and index finger to stretch your penis from the base to the tip.

Dr Unnati Desai from London’s Harley Street Emporium described jelqing as ‘a manipulative treatment’ that people utilize in an attempt to lengthen their penis.

She then added: ‘It’s kind of a stretching, pulling or milking motion.’

Pharmacist Abbas Kanani said: ‘The motion increases blood flow to the penis, and in theory, jelqing may cause the penis to learn to accommodate for more blood during an erection.’

The process involves a few key things.

To start, you need to be semi-erect — around 40–70% hard. It’s very important not to reach a full erection or not to try jelqing while watching pornography.

Hurn explained why: ‘Men thought that porn would be something that would help them with it and it didn’t. It had the complete opposite effect.

‘It desensitized men quite often,’ she added.

Before you start the jelqing process, doctors advise to warm the penis, with a hot towel — for two to three minutes.

Doctors also recommend using a high quality water-based lubricant for the actual milking process. Then use two hands and make an ‘OK’ sign with each index finger and thumb.

Squeeze the shaft at the very base of your penis. Slowly move down the shaft for about two to three seconds and then repeat this motion with your other hand.

Continue switching hands for about 50 times. Don’t do this more than four times a week.

Doctors also warn if there is significant discomfort or any abnormalities, stop immediately.

Is jelqing safe?

Medical professionals vary in their advice on whether jelqing is safe.

But they all agree on one thing: Jelqing incorrectly can have serious negative effects, both physically and psychologically.

Hurn actually said: ‘In more cases than not, there have been negative side effects as opposed to benefits of jelqing.

‘Particularly when they try to take this on and not get any help with the understanding of how it works. I think it’s been more successful if we set a program and advise them of how to do it and when to do it and the frequency of doing it,’ she said.

Kanani said: ‘Unfortunately, I can’t think of many positives other than it may be a good way to get to know your own body.’

The pharmacist then continued: ‘Applying too much pressure can affect the functioning of the penis, which can damage nerves, arteries and veins.

‘This can lead to decreased sensation in the penis and erectile dysfunction.

‘It’s also important to remember that the penis isn’t a muscle, it’s an organ. This means that it’s not possible to permanently increase the size of the penis through “exercise”.

‘Jelqing is unlikely to have an effect on sexual performance and I would generally advise against it,’ Kanani said.

Dr Desai said she saw no health benefits to the process at all.

She told Gay Star News: ‘I would recommend not doing it because you’re just damaging tissue.’

‘You can stretch tissue and over time if you manipulate any tissue you will cause changes to that tissue,’ she continued. ‘But my biggest concern with something like that is you could actually cause more trauma and that would affect functionality.’

How to fix jelqing gone wrong

Willy Wendy said she’s seen a lot of at-home penis enlargements gone wrong.

She’s seen ‘multiple men’ tie water bottles or various metalwork around their penises to stretch them throughout the day.

But one particular horror story was a guy who gave himself a Prince Albert (a piercing through the penis) and then attached it to a string around his foot. The aim was for the string to gradually pull his foreskin every time he walked.

There a few common negative health risks to jelqing.

Hurn explained it can cause suspensory ligament separation — a fracture in the penis — desensitization and Peyronie’s disease. The latter is where the penis can become ‘bendy’ because part of the tissue inside has been damaged. Subsequent scar tissue can cause the penis to bend.

Hurn said she once had a 22-year-old patient who had been told by a previous sexual partner that his penis was too small. Despite having a full-time job, he would constantly go to the bathroom and jelq several times a day. He would continue once home as well.

‘His penis had two Peyronie’s plaques — so two areas of thickening — either side of his penis,’ Hurn said. ‘It took a slightly corkscrew shape, like a bulb.

‘He’d damaged himself quite badly so we set a different program for him to try to straighten that out,’ she said.

Jelqing so much and seeing little results also had a negative affect on his psychological health.

But to fix the physical problems, she gave him a penis pump with a limiter. The pump helped to straighten out the penis, with the limiter making sure he’s not doing it too much.

P-shot

Some medical professionals also recommend platelet-rich plasma (PRP) shots, supposedly improving the ability to get erections.

Doctors take blood from patients, then remove the platelets from the blood and inject that back into the penis.

Dr Desai explained: ‘The idea behind PRP is that if we take the patients and extract the platelets from the blood and inject the platelets back into the body, we will trick the body into thinking it has to heal so it produces tissue and blood vessels.’

They combine the platelets with calcium glutamate. This helps with tissue regeneration, supposedly improving erections.

Doctors then inject a needle of this combination in five points along the penis.

One patient of the PRP shot is 49-year-old gay man Mark Flynn (not his real name) from London.

After the devastating effects of chemotherapy, his libido and quality of erections deteriorated. He then sought the advice of Dr Desai, who suggested he try the PRP shot.

‘I didn’t know that there was anything effective and safe that could be done,’ Flynn said. ‘After one treatment, I noticed that my erection lasts so much longer and that my libido has improved.

He added: ‘The length, when not erect, is also longer. I am having teenage problems again with significant morning erections!’

Dr Desai recommends three treatments, priced around £1,200 ($1,516 €1,331) per treatment.

After the second treatment, Flynn said he saw an extra inch in length and increased girth.

‘The treatment was over within an hour,’ he said. Dr Desai then gave Flynn a pump to use for 10 minutes twice a day, for six weeks.

Flynn added: ‘There was no bruising, no pain and I could carry on as normal immediately.’

Alternatives to jelqing

Before you try jelqing, Willy Wendy Hurn says you should really consider if the potential risks are worth it.

She always advises her patients to try to reconcile with their own body first.

‘I give them a mirror and I get them to look at themselves front on,’ she said. ‘Then I tell them to stand to the side and look at their penis sideways. Your penis is always bigger if you look at it from the side.

‘I also tell them to put their fingers at the base and push back on their fat pad, then the penis pops forward. If they get their index finger and middle finger, then put it either side of the penis and push down,’ she said.

She also recommends specific exercise that can help lose weight in the crotch area, which can make penises look bigger by comparison. Trimming pubic hair also helps give this illusion.

‘There are all sorts of things to improve the things they’ve already got,’ Hurn said.

But one big thing that can help is pelvic exercises. She said it can help bring the penis forward, as well as strengthen it.

‘It’s just talking to them about how they can improve their own body image without taking drastic measures. And it’s supporting them. That’s what they need.

‘That’s why I have done this for such a long time. Giving them a level of support is so important and they value this,’ she said.