Most people with a penis fall under the normal size category irrespective of whether their penis is in a flaccid or erect state. The average penis is about 5.17 inches when erect and 3.6 inches when flaccid. Micropenis is a medical condition diagnosed at birth when the size is smaller than 2.04 inches and is a rare condition. There could be other reasons behind a small penis, like being overweight, a webbed penis, or circumcision gone wrong. Some health issues like smoking, certain medications, Peyronie’s disease, prostate surgery, and aging can result in penis shrinkage. Treatments depend on the cause. If you feel unhappy or insecure about your size, it’s best to visit a therapist.
Is it too small? Or is it average-sized? Most men can’t seem to shake the idea that their penis size is smaller or not and keep wondering what’s the average size. And it doesn’t help when the size changes when it’s flaccid and erect.
For some, their erect size might seem average, and the flaccid size worries them if their penis is average-sized or smaller. It can make anyone spiral down the rabbit hole of worry, and a person might start to question if they have a micropenis or not.
Penises come in all sizes, but what is considered average-sized? How do you decide if your penis is micro? Or do you have a condition making flaccid seem smaller? How do you rectify your situation? Let’s get to the bottom of it!
Do you have a micropenis?
When looking at the flaccid state of their penis, most people wonder if it’s average-sized or too small and if they have a micropenis.
Micropenis is a medical condition if your penis size is smaller than 2.04 inches when in a flaccid state. Diagnosed at birth, and when a baby is born with a penis, doctors can identify if they have this condition or not.
In fact, it’s rare to have a micropenis. In the U.S., people born with micropenis between 1997 and 2000 accounted only for 0.015 percent.
The primary cause behind this condition is a sex hormone imbalance called hypogonadism that helps in genital development.
There could be a testosterone deficiency or cases where the fetus’s brain fails to communicate properly with the testicles.
It can hamper the production of this hormone, and they stay low, hindering the growth of the penis during pregnancy and even later.
Do you have turtling syndrome?
A buried penis (turtling syndrome) is another case for why it might seem smaller to people, and it’s when there’s an excess accumulation of skin around the penis.
It can make the penis bury or appear hidden in the abdomen or thighs. While it can happen as an infant, it can also occur to someone as an adult.
Usually, higher body fat is the primary reason for having a buried penis, but there’re other reasons too.
If someone has a high body fat percentage, it can make fat accumulate around their abdomen and envelop their penis.
It makes it appear smaller than it is and causes issues with sexual arousal and urination.
Do you have a webbed penis?
It’s another normal condition that can make a penis appear smaller. It’s when the scrotum’s skin is too high on the penis.
It affects the angle at which the penis rests, causing it to appear webbed and shorter than normal.
Usually, surgery can help remove the webbed effect and make the penis appear more normal.
Circumcision went wrong
Parents opting for circumcision for their infant need to pay attention to if it’s healing correctly. If not, it can result in a trapped penis, making it appear smaller.
The scar tissue causes the penis to become trapped beneath the healed skin, which eventually causes serious issues such as urinary dysfunction.
Health conditions causing penis shrinkage
Sometimes people worry if it’s just them or if their penis size is shrinking from before. While it can be just doubted in some cases, it can happen over time due to several factors that make the penis smaller.
1. Smoking
Not just the lungs, prolonged smoking can affect the penis of a person and might even make it shrink.
Erectile dysfunction is a common outcome of smoking. The chemicals from smoking can injure the blood vessels in the penis, preventing the penis from filling with blood and stretching.
Over time if the blood vessels are damaged, the penis won’t get erected anymore, resulting in a smaller penis.
2. Medications
Medications like Adderall, some types of antidepressants and antipsychotics, and some drugs prescribed to treat enlarged prostate can also affect the penis size.
3. Peyronie’s disease
Penises come in different sizes; some are straight, and some are curved.
There’s no right way to have an average or normal penis, and it’s normal for it to be in different shapes, sizes, colors, and girths.
Penises can also be bendy or curved, but it’s a medical issue if this curve or bend causes significant pain to appear. Then it could be known as Peyronie’s disease, where fibrous scar tissue develops inside the penis, causing it to become curved during an erection.
It can cause a reduction in the length of a penis and even its circumference of it. It’s a medical condition that can appear at any age but is frequent in people between the ages of 40 to 70 and needs attention before it becomes even more painful.
4. Prostate surgery
Reduction in penis size is also evident in people who have undergone a cancerous prostate gland removal surgery.
The International Journal of Impotence Research found that 71 percent of men experience some shrinkage.
It could be connected to the urethral tube, which connects to the urinary bladder shortening during the prostatectomy.
Can aging cause the penis to shrink?
As people age, they become significantly shorter in height, and so does their penis.
Several factors cause shrinkages, such as fatty deposit build-up or build-up of scar tissue caused by years of minor injuries from sex and sports.
In the case of fatty deposits, there’s reduced blood flow to the penis, and the muscle cells in the erectile tube become weaker.
If scar tissue builds up, it can affect the erectile tissues of the penis, causing it to shrink.
What’s the average size of a penis?
When not erectile, the penis is flaccid. Of course, when flaccid, it appears to be smaller than when it’s erect.
The flaccid penis size in an adult is 3.61 inches, according to a study in BJU International. The average erect penis size in an adult is 5.16 inches.
The size of a penis doesn’t depend on the race and ethnicity of a person, even though most people believe it does.
There’s not even a defined normal of how it looks or appears. Some people might have a slightly curved penis, and that’s also normal.
Do I need treatment for a small penis?
Those suffering from micropenis are diagnosed young and put on hormone treatment.
This early treatment can help the babies recover their natural size and growth, but if that doesn’t work, other options include surgery.
Smoking should be avoided if someone can see the difference in their penis size. Even issues like a buried penis can be rectified by working on weight loss.
If someone has a webbed penis, opting for cosmetic surgery can help them. In case of a trapped penis from circumcision, can receive help from steroid therapy or surgery.
Treatment plans for medical conditions like Peyronie’s disease involve medication, surgery, or ultrasound technology that removes the scar tissue inside the penis.
FAQs
What is small penis syndrome?
People with small penis syndrome suffer mentally due to severe anxiety about their length and size when they don’t have a small penis.
Also known as penile dysmorphic disorder (PDD), it’s a type of body dysmorphic disorder that interferes with reality perception. The average penis size is 5.17 in. when erect and 3.61 when flaccid.
The primary symptom is a constant comparison of their size and dissatisfaction to the point it affects their daily activities and life.
Therapy and understanding of their triggers can help people suffering from this syndrome.
Does a micropenis affect sex?
The size of a penis doesn’t affect sexual satisfaction.
Anxiety and performance pressure can affect sexual function and prevent a person from fully enjoying sexual activities with their partner.
Deep penetration isn’t the only way to pleasure your partner with a vagina because they can achieve the same with other forms of stimulation.
A micropenis doesn’t affect any other functions either, and if you’ve insecurities, it’s best to consult a therapist.
How to naturally grow your penis size?
There’s no way to grow your penis size naturally. If someone tells you there are specific exercises, medications, or even food to help increase or decrease your size, there’s no such thing.
But there are some tips to help maintain your length, such as reviewing your medications, drinking plenty of water, avoiding wearing tight underwear and pants, and keeping your weight in check by exercising daily.
Are penises getting smaller?
The environment does affect the size of a penis.
With more and more pollution and the changing habits of eating, sleeping, and working, thee has been a change in the penis size where it’s smaller than in the earlier generations.
Changing your habits by making necessary changes in how you exercise and what you eat and work can help you maintain your original length without any medical conditions affecting your size.
To summarise
It’s a great concern among people born with a penis that they might not be average-sized, and this fear can sometimes become so great that it affects their mental health to a great extent.
Genitals like penises and vaginas are never a typical perfect size or shape and are different and unique to each person.
A flaccid penis can appear smaller due to different health conditions or external factors hampering the size. Treatment for a medical condition causing issues is different depending on the cause.
If you’re feeling great distress with your penis size to the point where it’s affecting your life, it’s better to consult a therapist and see a doctor to feel more assured physically and mentally.
