Despite its relatively small size and deceivingly simple appearance, the penis is just as complex as any other part of the human body. Moreover, since the two functions of the penis are well-known to men and women alike, there is a tendency to think that everybody knows everything worth knowing about it.

However, there are always a few questions left unanswered or some obscure bit of information that nobody bothers to remember and which may become interesting in a certain context. So here's a general description of the penis with the aim of providing a comprehensive presentation of this organ.

Every male baby is born with a full set of reproductive organs. However, these organs are not fully developed and remain so until the boy enters puberty. At puberty, usually between the ages of 10 and 14, the pituitary gland starts secreting hormones that induce the testicles to produce testosterone. Testosterone is the hormone that controls all the physical and many of the psychological traits that define man.

Its presence ensures the development of bigger bones and higher muscle mass in men. It is also responsible for the increase in penis and testicles size, the apparition of pubic hair and the deeper tone of the male voice.

The penis stops growing at the end of puberty, which comes around the age of 18. However, there are many environment factors that may delay or accelerate the onset or the end of puberty. This means that some men may experience penis growth beyond the age of 18.

The human penis is made up of two parts: the shaft and the glans (widely known as the head). The shaft is not a muscle as some believe, but it's actually made of three columns of tissue, one of which continues forward to form the glans. The three columns are called Corpus Spongiosus, which forms the underside of the penis and the glans, and Corpora Cavernosa, which are two sections of tissue located next to each other on the upper side of the penis.

The shaft is covered in skin, while the glans supports the loosely attached fold of skin known as the foreskin. The foreskin is attached to the underside of the penis, in an area called the frenum. And, lastly, the penis is traversed from one end to the other by the urethra. This canal serves as a passage for both urine, produced in the bladder, and the sperm, produced in the testicles.

Erection is achieved by letting blood fill the two Corpora Cavernosa. Unlike some other mammals, humans have no erectile bone to prop up the tissue and have to rely instead on engorgement with blood to reach erection.

When the erection is triggered by sexual stimulation, the arteries that bring blood to the penis dilate in order to increase blood flow. The sponge-like Corpora Cavernosa fills up with blood, which makes the penis stiff. The stiffer tissues constrict the veins that carry blood away from the penis in order to maintain the erection.

And the article ends with a word on penis exercises. The exercises that PenisHealth? promotes are designed to force the columns of tissue to expand in both length and girth. This is done by exerting pressure on the shaft and helping the cells that make up the tissues to multiply. Contrary to what many skeptics think, the careful and sustained exercising of the penis is a safe and effective way of increasing length and girth.