Explanation of the different parts of the penis

The penis is the external male sexual and urination organ. It is made up of three columns of erectile tissue and it relies solely on engorgement with blood to reach its erect state during sex.

The erectile tissues are called "corpus spongiosum" and "corpus cavernosum". The "corpus spongiosum" lies on the underside of the penis, while the two "corpora cavernosa" columns lie next to each other on the upper side. The end of the corpus spongiosum is enlarged and cone-shaped and forms the glans penis. The glans supports the foreskin (or prepuce), which is a loose fold of skin that in adults can retract to expose the glans. The area on the underside of the penis, where the foreskin is attached, is called the frenum.

An overview of penis augmentation surgery: is it for you?

Most guys would never admit it, but probably all of us have given some thought to penile enlargement surgery. Whether out of curiosity, self-consciousness, embarrassment, or a secret longing to be exceptionally well-hung, men very commonly seek information about surgery to increase the length and girth of their penis. In fact, a study of the top searches online shows "penis enlargement surgery" to be consistently among the most popular information requests.

And as anyone who has made such a search can tell you, there are plenty of men who not only wonder about it, but who actually go through with this major surgical procedure in their quest for the perfect penis.

Penile curvature: is surgery the only option?

The majority of men have a very slight curve or sideways "hang" to the penis. But about 400 men in every 100,000 suffer from the condition of severely bent or curved erect penis, so extreme that it makes intercourse painful for both partners or completely impossible. The erect penis may bend in a "J" or "U" shape, or may have a series of bends that create an almost corkscrew-like appearance. This condition is referred to in the medical community as Peyronie's Disease, and is also sometimes called fibrous caverositis as a description of the condition of having fibrous scar tissue building up in the layers of erectile tissue (cavernosa).

Physicians disagree about the exact cause of Peyronie's. It's clear, however, that the condition occurs when inelastic plaque or scar tissue replaces the normally elastic tissue of some part of the penis. Normally, an erection expands the elastic tissue of the penis more or less symmetrically, producing a straight erection. But because scar tissue is not elastic, or stretchy, but rather hard, it stays put while other parts of the penis engorge, resulting in curvature or severe bending. If the scar tissue extends all the way around the shaft of the penis, the result is either "bottleneck" or pinching-in at that location, or even a drastic shortening of the penis.