What is a Priapus shot and how does it work?

Image: Magic Mike.

The words ‘penis enhancement’ probably bring to mind those dodgy junk emails that used to clog your Hotmail inbox, despite the fact you didn’t have a penis.

Yet the reputation of penis enhancement seems to have undergone a makeover, as an increasingly popular junk-plumping procedure has been hailed as the ‘next big thing’ in cosmetic surgery.

It’s called the Priapus shot, and it claims to increase penis size by up to 20 per cent, while improving strength, sensation and circulation. Named after the Greek god of virility, a Priapus injection apparently “jumpstarts” the growth of tissue and blood vessels in the penis, all for a princely sum of $1500 USD (so just under $2000 AUD).

Curious? Of course you are. As the International Business Times reports, this is the process involved:

“The doctor first draws blood from the patient. The blood is then processed in a device called a centrifuge to create platelet-rich plasma or PRP. Although the main function of platelets is to stop bleeding, it also causes growth.

Numbing cream is then applied on the male genital as anaesthesia, after which the doctor injects the PRP in five spots of the patient’s private parts. He is then required to use a penis pump 10 minutes daily after one to two months.”

The entire process takes about half an hour and is a one-off thing. Practitioners claim the result looks like the owner’s natural penis, only bigger. As the benefits of the shot are tied to new tissue growth, it can apparently take several weeks for any change to become evident.

Although the thought of sticking a needle into a penis is enough to make you cringe, demand for the procedure is reportedly swelling (ahem) in the US; one Brooklyn-based surgeon told the New York Post that his business has doubled in the year since he began offering the Priapus shot (nicknamed the P shot).

Coupons for the Priapus shot were also included in this year’s Academy Awards goodie bags, so who knows — there could be some A-list men going under the needle as you read this.

We know what you’re wondering: what kind of effect does this have on a person’s sex life? A very good one, according to US physician Eric Berger.

“One of my patients came in, and he and his girlfriend were fighting [and] having sexual problems,” Berger tells the New York Post. “He had a penis that was very thin. I injected him, and he’s got at least an inch improvement… And they’re back together again.”

Speaking of penises, here’s a selection of clouds that look like them, from the Tumblr account Penis Shaped Clouds. You’re welcome. (Post continues after gallery.)

Penis shaped clouds

There’s good news for any women who are feeling a little jealous while reading this — a female version of the P shot exists. Nicknamed the O shot, it follows the same process, only it’s the clitoris being injected. Ooph. Apparently the O shot can heighten a woman’s pleasure during sex.

This may sound all very Brave New World, but according to the Priapus shot’s inventor, Charles Runels MD, the injection could one day become commonplace.

“I think the day will come when these injections are given routinely in the same way we tune-up a car with a little STP to clean the fuel injectors,” he writes on the Priapus website. “Instead, we will use PRFM to clean out the circulation of the penis and grow new blood vessels.”

Hmmm. We’re not so sure about that…

Have you heard of the Priapus shot?

Why some men are having their penises injected.