Penis enlargement surgery is also known as penis augmentation or penile enhancement surgery. Almost all men, if not all, will have experienced some anxiety about the size or appearance of their penises. For most men, these feelings will pass and fade away, however for others, they can be persistent and even be downright distressing. This is because men with small penises perceive that their manhood is compromised.

Concerns about the look of a man's penis can lead to avoidance of sexual relationships and activities which other people might see him in nude. Such men are not only embarrassed by the apparent smallness of their penis, but frequently also feel ashamed about their anxiety too. This is why many men will look for ways to enlarge their penis.

Penis enlargement surgeries consist of two surgical procedures. It done to either increase the girth of the penis or to increase the length of the penis. It is common for patients to have both penis enlargement surgeries done at the same time.

Increasing the girth of the penis relies on fat cells being transplanted or injected around the penis. However it is unlike a liposuction procedure where fat cells are being sucked out. This surgical procedure is known as fat transfer so as to bulk up the penis.

The problem is that the transplanted fat cells will feel soft. Furthermore, increases in the girth size of the penis achieved in this procedure can often be reversed as the fat cells can be re-absorbed into the body. To some penis enlargement patients, the re-absorption of the injected fat is uneven and the penis is left looking out of shape and lumpy.

However, by using the dermal transfer, fat re-absorption problem can be circumvented. Dermal transfer uses strips of skin and fat together in the transplant surgery. The skin stops the fat from being re-absorbed into the body. As dermal transfer procedure requires strips of skin and fat to be grafted onto the penis, it is more complicated and the risk of disfigurement is even higher.

The tissue in the penis that fills with blood, especially during an erection is called the corpora cavernosa. This tissue normally extends from the penis back into the body. In some cases, as much as up to 50% of the corpora cavernosa may be inside the body and thus cannot be visibly seen.

Penis lengthening surgery will render the release the concealed tissue which has the effect of increasing the length of the penis. Releasing the concealed part of the penis is done by cutting the suspensory ligaments that keep the corpora cavernosa anchored within the body.

This will release the hidden in the body part of the penis forward so achieving additional penis length outside the body that is visible. This penis lengthening surgery can result in substantial flaccid penis size lengthening although sometimes only achieving only a small increase in length of the penis during an erection.

The side effect of this penis lengthening surgery is that the ligament is no longer anchored to the pubic bone and so the penis can be said to be in a floating and loose condition. If the penis is flaccid then there will usually not be any problems. However if the penis is erect then several complications may happen.

Since the penis is floating loose from the pubic bone, the erect penis can slip and shift around during sex. Without the ligament to hold it, erections can actually point downwards or sideways. Today, through more sophisticated surgical techniques, this condition can be minimized.

Although penis enlargement surgery technique has improved, many surgeons will not recommend penis enlargement surgery to their patients because of the inherent risks it carries.