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​Turns Out Penises Can Actually Shrink By Up To An Inch

​Turns Out Penises Can Actually Shrink By Up To An Inch

While you're pretty powerless over some of these issues or causes, thankfully there are some things you can do.

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

While many have been busy celebrating the size of their manhood, they may have been praising themselves a little too prematurely - as it turns out their penis could actually shrink by up to an inch.

The average penis size is 13.12cm long, with a girth of 11.66cm when erect, according to The Mirror, though there is no 'normal' size or shape. Remember, chaps, everyone's different and all that.

But the paper reports that there are several things you could be doing to compromise some of those precious centimetres.

via GIPHY

Oneof those, as you may have suspected, is smoking. There are various toxins in a cigarette that can damage the blood vessels in your penis, according to Medical News Today, which could mean the muscle cells down there could waste away - and, in turn, erections could become difficult.

A 1998 study by experts from Boston University of Medicine also revealed similar results, examining the penises of 200 men and finding that smokers' members were shorter than those who don't smoke. They concluded that smoking inhibits blood flow to your penis, making it difficult for it to stretch.

As well as smoking, medication could also have an effect on the size of your penis - including drugs like Adderall (often prescribed to people with attention deficit disorders) and some antidepressants and antipsychotics.

Some drugs used to treat prostate problems could also have an effect, with a 2012 study into a drug called finasteride revealing that men suffered from shrinkage and reduced sensation, and another published in the journal Urology finding that 41 percent of those taking the drug dutasteride suffered sexual dysfunction.

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Similarly, prostate surgery can have an effect. About 70 percent of men who have had surgery to remove the gland due to cancer have reportedly experienced a decrease in the size of their penis.

Anyone with Peyronie's disease, which causes the penis to become curved when erect, could also find that they experience a build up of scar tissue - another factor that can block blood flow to the penis.

Sadly, your penis could also lose some of its length with age, as a build up of fatty deposits in the arteries could reduce blood flow and cause the muscle cells in the erectile tissue to degenerate.

While you're pretty powerless over some of these issues or causes, thankfully there are some things you can do - namely cutting down on smoking.

Plus, as The Sun explains, if you lose a bit of weight around your gut, you could feel like your penis has got bigger, as you begin to see more of the little guy - or, big guy, if you will.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Science, Smoking, Health