Dr. Solomon, Forum Member "Chrisresearch" asks: "Hi Dr. Solomon, I have been reading your posts and researching revision. Regarding PMMA removal, can it be done if there is not much PMMA?"
PMMA causes an inflammatory reaction as it integrates with your tissues. Often, the amount of PMMA is relatively small compared with the reaction that it creates. If these areas can be readily identified on physical examination, then its removal is fairly straightforward, regardless of the amount of PMMA injected.
Dr. Solomon, The Moderation Team would also like to add the last question: How do you gauge whether removal or revision of a penis filler is "safe" or "advisable." How does this assessment apply to all the cosmetic filler varieties (from PMMA to hyaluronic acid (HA) to silicone oil)?
All surgical procedures have risks. The question of safety relates to several issues. First, does the benefit of the procedure outweigh the risk? If, by removing the foreign material, a more normal contour can be restored with minimal risk to the patient, then the benefit outweighs the risk. This issue is of more concern in patients with pain in their penis or migration or erosion of the material through the skin. Second, it is important that patients understand the risks of the procedure. Injection of materials in the penis varies widely. I have seen patients with injections that are placed deep in the penis as well as superficial. Removal of these injections includes not only the material, but the body’s reaction to the material. For things like hyaluronic acid, this reaction is often minimal. For silicone, the reaction can be large, as it can for PMMA. This is due to the properties of these various materials. So the surgeon must account for the location of the injection, the reaction it has caused and the initial material injected. With all injections, there is an issue of loss of blood flow to the skin superficial to the injection. The skin of the penis is thin and its blood supply is often adversely affected by these various injections (and other procedures). Therefore, removal of material is not only about the material and the reaction, but attempting to preserve blood flow to the overlying skin to avoid loss of skin that could require additional surgery to repair the loss.
Dr. Solomon, you have two locations, one on the East Coast (Philadelphia, PA) and the other on the West Coast (Los Angeles, CA). Do you have a set schedule between the Clinics or is one a primary location with the other being on an as-needed-by-appointment basis?
Typically, I spend 25% of my time in Los Angeles and 75% in Philadelphia. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have limited my travel to Los Angeles. This is because the disease is fairly well controlled in Philadelphia. Were I to go to Los Angeles at the present time, I would need to be quarantined for 14 days upon my return, which is disruptive to my schedule in Philadelphia. Therefore, until that restriction is lifted, I will need to limit my time to Philadelphia only. I do have a waiting list for surgery for patients in Los Angeles, so when I return, I will be operating and seeing patients in consultation. Until that time, I have been using telemedicine to provide secure, encrypted video meetings with patients who cannot travel to Philadelphia. These appointments are arranged by calling my office.
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Dear Dr. Solomon, I have been asked on occasion about surgical or non-surgical options for men with micro-penis. Do you (or have you) ever performed surgery on patients with a micro-penis? What's your opinion on the condition, and what are some advice you can give to men with micro-penis?
I have performed surgery on men with true micropenis. The nature of the procedure is quite customized since there are often several components to the problem. The goal for these men is improvement. It is often impossible to get a true micropenis to be more than a modest penis, but for these men, that is often enough.
Dr. Solomon, I've read you're a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon. What other male enhancement services do you provide that aren't necessarily related to phalloplasty?
Answer: Men have a variety of issues that I treat. Specific to men are surgery for gynecomastia (enlarged breasts) and pectoral implants. These implants are used for men who want to add definition to their chest that exercise won’t provide. Calf augmentation and bicep augmentation can be performed as well. Other procedures for men include liposuction and facial surgery. Facial surgery includes eyelid surgery, nasal surgery, chin surgery, forehead lift (also known as browlift) and facelift.
(3a) Dr. Solomon, do you perform lengthening surgery (ligamentolysis)? If so, what can patients expect to gain on average? Are gains limited to flaccid length or will I see improvements in both flaccid and erect lengths? Also, will there be a change in the angle of my erection post-op?
Penis length surgery, sometimes called ligamentolysis is one of the most common procedures that I perform. It has a high degree of patient satisfaction and the questions here are good ones. I tell patients that the average increase in flaccid length is 1 inch (2.5 cm). The most I have ever seen is 2 inches (5cm). This is related to the amount of penis that is beneath the ligament. The increase in length that occurs is always in the flaccid state. Some men tell me that they are longer when erect, but there is no way to know in advance if there will be a gain in erect length. Moreover, I do not measure patients in the erect length, so I have no data to answer this question in any greater detail. To my knowledge, there is no large study that discusses this. There are some reports of about an average of one-half inch (1 cm) increase when erect after surgery. Many men think the angle of their erection will change after surgery, but I have not seen this in my patients. I do several things in the surgery itself to restore the angle. I also have my patients wear a weighted condom for 6 hours each day for 6 months after surgery to help prevent scar tissue from pulling the penis back.
(3b) Dr. Solomon, do you provide surgery to those who suffer from excessive scrotal webbing, sometimes called "turkey neck?" If so, can you detail some important things to expect like recovery time, whether it's an outpatient procedure, common techniques that are used, etc?
Scrotal webbing is an issue for many men. It can interfere with intercourse and be a source of irritation during exercise. There are several methods of correcting the web. The oldest method is known as z-plasty. Other methods include a U shaped skin excision and a V shaped skin excision. The decision about which pattern to use is based upon the extent of the problem, which varies with each patient. The surgery itself is not associated with much postoperative discomfort, but there is a large a mount of swelling. This takes the better part of a month to resolve and in that time men are restricted in terms of physical activity and sexual activity. Surgery is performed as an outpatient. Some patients require a drain to be used while others do not. This is a decision that I make at the time of surgery. The scars from these procedures are well hidden due to the nature of the skin of the scrotum. I use dissolving sutures that do not need to be removed.
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Dr. Solomon, do you perform testicular enhancement surgery? If so, how do you go about enlarging the scrotum and/or testicles? If not, what are your reservations with approaching this part of the anatomy?
I do perform testicular enhancement. This is one of the areas where I will use fat grafting. I work with a urologist in Beverly Hills to assure that the fat is placed in the proper plane around the testicle. The fat provides a natural feel along with a modest augmentation. Most men who seek this treatment have been taking testosterone and note a change in the size and consistency of their testes. I will occasionally place implants in the scrotum, again, working with a urologist in my Beverly Hills location. These can be placed along side of the existing testes or for men who have had their testicle removed. These implants are firmer than normal testes. I do not place caps on the testicle because they make it difficult to examine men for testicular tumors.
Dr. Solomon, if I wanted multiple procedures done (i.e. any combination of lengthening, girth, scrotal webbing, etc), can they all be done on the same day at your Clinic?
Is it possible combining procedures all on the same appointment would increase the risk for edema, a longer recovery, and/or major complications? What are your thoughts?
I do perform multiple procedures in one sitting. However, I tell patients that the recovery is prolonged due to swelling. Most of the swelling arises from the girth procedure. When girth surgery is performed along with other procedures, the swelling takes longer to resolve than if the procedures were performed separately. In my practice, the risks of complications are low. Length and web procedures have few complications and they tend to be minor. Girth procedures have a more complicated operative course, so complications may occur. I have only had 3 patients who lost their grafts in more than 25 years. My style of practice is very “hands on.” I require my patients to stay in a hotel near my office (in either location) and I see patients every day until they return home. This is usually anywhere from 3-6 days after surgery. This allows me to manage drains, dressings and other concerns that patients have after surgery. It also minimizes swelling since patients are largely at bed rest and in the hotel, rather than out of the room. I find that early control of swelling reduces the overall recovery time. For patients who travel a distance for surgery, I advise staying in a hotel for 1-2 weeks. Patients often feel well in the hotel and then have issues when they arrive at home. This is due to the stresses of travel, the amount of walking needed to travel through an airport, greater swelling and the general anxiety created when patients are at a distance from me. While it can be inconvenient to stay in a hotel for 1-2 weeks, the value is that your activities are very limited. This limits the swelling and enhances the healing. Obviously, I cannot force anyone to stay longer, but I encourage boredom as a part of recovery from these procedures, which are real surgery with real potential for complications.
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2a) Dr. Solomon, what are the advantages of using Surgimend over other dermal matrices (like Alloderm & Belladerm)? Are there varying options for thickness? Could I add more sheets of Surgimend in the future for more girth?
This is an excellent question. Alloderm and Belladerm (among others) come from human sources. In particular, Alloderm is a donation from someone who has died while Belladerm often comes from remnants of abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) tissue that is removed at surgery. Human dermis is then prepared from these materials. Human dermis varies in thickness depending upon what part of the body it is from and the age of the donor. Human dermis gets thinner with age. As a rule, the thickest human dermis is not more than 2 mm and on average about 1.5 mm. Surgimend comes from fetal calf tissue. This has several advantages. It has never been exposed to bacteria, so it is sterile. Calf dermis is thicker than human dermis. This tissue is cut by machine. So its thickness is uniform and because calf dermis is thicker than human dermis, it is available in thicknesses from 1 to 4 mm.
My average Surgimend graft is 3 mm thick. This seems to be the "sweet spot" between giving a good result while allowing it to revascularize in a reasonable amount of time. I have used 4 mm grafts in some patients, as well as 2 mm grafts in some.
You can have a second wrap, but recovery is long and in several cases, the penis has been almost too thick for comfortable intercourse. I warn patients about these issues before performing additional girth enhancement.
(2b)Dr. Solomon, do you offer any solutions for glans enlargement? If yes, could you describe how you go about safely augmenting the glans? If you don't offer any procedures for the glans, is it due to the anatomical risks associated with the glans, or simply a matter of preference?
I have tried many methods for glans enlargement. None of them provides a permanent solution, so I do not offer this to my patients. I am aware that some physicians use injections, mostly hyaluronic acid. This generally goes away, but has, on occasion has left some nodules that I have had to remove surgically. I have also tried fat grafting the glans and using dermal graft material. None of these methods provided a natural, long lasting glans enlargement, so I do not perform this procedure any longer.
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