TOPIC: Serpens | HIGHST Clinic Seoul — Surgery, Recovery & Results

Putting the feelers out there to see if anyone is interested in my recent surgical experience with HIGHST Urology Clinic in Seoul, South Korea.

On the 14th October I underwent the 5S Combined Penile Enlargement Surgery with Chief Director, Dr Koo Jin-Mo, aided by HIGHST's International Patient Manager, Sung. Both Sung and Dr Koo are extraordinary in both surgical acumen and patient support so I would like the opportunity to shine a light on that if members want me to elaborate.

There don't seem to be many testimonials or journals regarding HIGHST, which surprises me given the accolades held, the experience of the practitioners and the modern facilities. Hence I feel somewhat obligated to share as much as I can to help others on the same path who may benefit.

I'll leave this here for now, if it gets any traction I'll provide a full run through.

Yeah I’d love to hear it

My journey started in January 2026, I stumbled across the concept of Acellular dermal matrix and its use in penile enlargement. I discovered a clinic called Proud Urology that utilises ADM grafts within its 5S Combined Surgery offering. Something just didn’t real right about a strategy that relied entirely upon filler, so to learn about the use of structured graft material that my own nerves and blood vessels would grow into seemed far more natural and longevous than a silicone implant or filler.

The 5S Combined Surgical offering includes the following:
- Partial ligament release for Flaccid length gain
- Girth enlargement using MegaDerm (ADM graft material)
- Glands enlargement using MegaFill (pulverised MegaDerm)
- Premature ejaculation treatment (not included in my surgery)
- PDRN (Polydeoxyribonucleotide, used for tissue Repair and anti-inflammation)

Whilst I was conducting my research I’d learned Proud Urology had split into Praum Urology and HIGHST Urology. I initially contacted Praum about their services which is where I was virtually greeted by James over email, the decision on who to contact first between Praum and HIGHST at this point was made purely based on Praum being mentioned more on this forum. James was a good communicator so naturally I began asking lots of questions ranging from surgical approach to commercials, to result expectations.

I took some initial measurements but unfortunately they did not stock a singular graft long enough for my stretched Flaccid length. I then reached out to HIGHST who I’d seen almost no mention of on this forum, but upon deeper research it became clear they were the real deal. Experienced, long-serving clinicians and practitioners like Dr Koo specialised in male Urology for over 15 years. Modern, sleek, spotless facilities; symbiotic relations with core material suppliers like L&C Bio who supply the MegaDerm graft material; and an extremely welcoming client management approach delivered by Sung, the International Patient Manager.

Dr Koo and his team’s tenure and expertise in the field of male Urology is what sold me, but what really made the experience was how I was treated by Sung in person on the day of the operation. Unbeknownst to me, prior to meeting Sung I was discussing the surgery with him over WhatsApp for some time. To put a face to a WhatsApp chat was fantastic and I can honestly say he was a pleasure to talk to both virtually and in-person. I was expecting a degree of language barrier fractiousness but Sung very easily bridged that gap.

Sung originally lived in America and worked in the service industry for 10 years prior to working for HIGHST so he’s well equipped to calm nerves, answer questions and resolve issues on the fly. He left no concern or question go unnoticed, was incredibly personable and it was clear he understood my nerves. He was with me in-person from the start of the consultation, all the way until my eyes closed in the operating theatre. He helped bridge the language barrier, explaining literally everything that was going on around me as I was prepared for surgery. Anyone visiting HIGHST can rest assured they will be looked after regardless of if you’re local or visiting from abroad.

My starting measurements are as follows, I’ll go into a bit more detail about the surgical approach, materials and decisions made in the consultation.

Starting Measurements (cm)
Stretched Flaccid length: 12
Flaccid Girth (mid): 10.5
Erect Girth (base) : 12.4
Erect Girth (mid) : 13.1
Erect Girth (top) : 12.3
Erect Girth (glands) : 10.4
Erect length (NBP): 18cm
Erect length (BP): 20cm

MegaDerm is an ADM (Acellular dermal matrix), in short it’s a blank piece of donor tissue with all immune cells and other identifying biological components removed that serves as a scaffold for your own cells to grow into such that it becomes part of you. They’re usually provided in specific sizes but can be custom made and have thicknesses varying from 3mm to 5mm. You can’t choose the thickness, its variable from graft to graft which is important as I’ll come onto later. The edges are usually compressed somewhat to prevent harsh border step-offs.

A MegaDerm graft size had been selected for my specific case based on photos I provided before I reached Korea, but naturally it’s not possible to finalise a surgical approach until seen in person. I had a choice of either a pubic incision or reopening my Circumcision scar to deglove. I was originally in favour of the pubic incision to implant a singular MegaDerm graft with MegaFill as an extra Girth layer on top, however during my consultation I was informed I was a candidate for double layering of MegaDerm graft material which required a Circumcision scar opening. Essentially a 6x12cm graft (more like 6.5x12.5, as MegaDerm grafts are slightly variable) would be placed on top of a smaller 5x6cm graft to boost volume. You may ask why they didn’t just select the same size for both layers? Because the step-off effect created when putting graft material on top of a flat surface (Buck’s Fascia) would be too severe. The 5x6 acts as an underlay for the 6x12 to sit on top of as a foundation and the edges of the 5x6 are smoothed out by the larger 6x12 graft on top. In my case the 5x6 was justified more towards the glands which was a decision made intraoperatively by Dr Koo, which I’m happy about as I wanted more Girth applied towards the head anyway.

MegaFill would be used for glands enlargement at roughly 2-3cc, roughly 5-8cc used for contouring of the graft edges in the shaft to create as smooth of a transition as possible between graft and underlying penis tissue. PDRN was then applied for the purposes of tissue-healing and Repair, thereby preventing rejection and reducing inflammation.

I woke up in the recovery room, you never have to share a recovery space, a room is assigned specifically to you, and you’ll spend perhaps 30 mins to an hour after waking to allow the anaesthesia to wear off, however you can take as long as you need. It’s advised not to drive but I found it quite easy to walk back to my hotel 20/30 mins away. The effects of the anaesthesia dissipate exponentially so you’ll be surprised how quickly you’re back to normal.

You’re heavily bandaged up after the surgery with compression wrapping to prevent swelling. I’d advise picking up or bringing some form of cold press to aid in reduction. The pain on the first day/night in my experience wasn’t pleasant, but when I took the pain medication a good 70/80% was curtailed. I’m now day 4 and I can say for certain that the pain and swelling reduces massively in a short time.

As I went for reopening my Circumcision scar I need to have the stitches removed in 2 weeks, no showering until then so picking up some full-body wipes before traveling has been a godsend. I’m in Korea for a week which is advised as a good timeframe for aftercare before flying home. If anything goes wrong then the Surgical and Recovery teams at HIGHST can act quickly, equally having their support changing the bandages post op is important so they can show you the correct technique.

I’ve posted two photos from whilst in theatre showing immediately before and after surgery. I’ll be providing more photos as my recovery progresses. If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask.

That’s fantastic to hear about your experience as I also think about what I want to do and with whom!

Could you elaborate on the post 2 weeks stitch Removal? It sounds like you are only staying a week, so are you planning on someone removing the stitches back home? 

Additionally, and if you prefer to direct message certainly understand - what was the total cost of the procedure (assuming you did all 5 options, which I believe is the case)?

Regarding stitch Removal, according to Dr Koo its apparently quite normal for Korean men to remove stitches on their own using a kit provided by the clinic, so I'll likely just remove them on my own when I return to the UK. Fundamentally though, there is no requirement to stay in Korea for stitch Removal. With a pubic incision you can shower after 3/4 days, with a Circumcision line incision, its 2 weeks.

I'm going to check with the clinic regarding commercials as they may prefer I don't communicate it, if they give the green light i'm happy to share. 

To confirm, I only did 4 of the 5:
- Girth enhancement - yes
- Glands enhancement - yes
- Ligament release - yes
- PDRN - yes
- Premature ejaculation - no

I naturally last quite a long time anyway to the extent I have the opposite problem of premature ejaculation, hence I didn't want that offering. The price doesn't change by removing that option though, if you are quoted 10k for the 5S procedure and you remove premature ejaculation and you don't want ligament release either, the price is still $10k. You may ask why, well to my understanding its because most of the costs stem from fixed costs that relate to surgical materials (MegaDerm, anaesthetic, human resource) that are largely predetermined per surgery and implicitly required regardless of what you're removing. 

Unless you remove the MegaDerm Girth enhancement itself, in which case its not the 5S Combined Surgery anymore its either standalone ligament release, glands enlargement, MegaFill Girth enhancement etc. 

Interested to see how much length and Girth you’ve gained.

Checked with the clinic and they'd prefer I don't share the commercial details purely because each patient surgery is unique and therefore pricing is personalised. I also wouldn't want any pressure placed upon them to hold to a certain price position based on my surgery given how the surgical requirements change on a case-by-case basis. Naturally, i'm going to respect their wishes and won't be divulging, but feel free to reach out directly to discuss your specific needs, their website is very informative and has all the contact details on it - WhatsApp is best.

As for Girth, its estimated 2-2.5cm immediately after surgery, then 1-1.5cm after the swelling has gone down and parts of the ADM have been absorbed by your body (between 30-40%). The 30/40% rule isn't hard and fast, i'm sure its a range but that is the average based on anecdotal reporting. However, i've had two grafts fitted so its going to be a significant change to my Girth profile in a single operation. Right now because of all the swelling, plus the graft material underneath, my post-surgery Flaccid penis is bigger than my pre-surgery hard penis. This wont be how it stays, but I am excited to see where it settles over the next year.

How long does this last?

The results are permanent. There is some absorption of graft material (MegaDerm) and filler (MegaFill) but results after remodeling has taken place (after around a year) are permanent. Absorption is expected at around 30%. 

You can come back for additional sheets of MegaDerm after the initial surgery has fully healed if you want to further increase your Girth.