A man was forced to have his penis amputated after having filler injected, as concerns about rogue cosmetic procedures grow.
Once restricted to the rich and famous, cosmetic 'tweakments' are now more accessible than ever.
According to statistics shared by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), 27,462 procedures were performed in 2024, while the number of Brits getting botox or fillers was estimated to be around 9,807.
But as procedures become easily available, so are complications, particularly if procedures are performed by practitioners without adequate training – leading to dire consequences.
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According to a recent report from Daily Record, the number of patients undergoing botox or filler injections into their penis is on the rise. However procedures completed at unregulated 'pop up clinics' are leading to various complications, including one man who ended up with his penis amputated.
Why are people getting filler or botox injections in their penis?
Fillers injected into the genitals - often referred to as 'Bocox' - is primarily used to treat erectile dysfunction.
The procedure works by relaxing the muscles in the penile area and allowing for increased blood flow to the area, which allows a patient to obtain and maintain an erection.
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However the surgery is not without risk, as patients can experience irritation, swelling, priapism (prolonged erection) and infection (per Heathline).
"There are very few specialist doctors who can perform cosmetic injection procedures on male genitals. It is not a procedure I would ever recommend to a patient, even if you went to a specialist, never mind a back-door pop-up clinic," Dr Ben Taylor-Davies, who works as an A&E doctor and runs his own Edinburgh clinic, told Daily Record.
"Injections in these areas carry a high risk of infection and could lead to death."
In one particularly horrifying case, a man was forced to have his penis removed at a hospital in Glasgow after having a 'vaseline-type substance' injected into his manhood.
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The man's reaction isn't unique either, with numerous medical journals citing complications associated with injecting petroleum jelly into the penis.
In a 2015 study involving a 43-year-old patient who'd injected the substance himself. The man was described as having 'multiple fistulas, paraffinomas and bacterial superinfection' which lead to extensive surgery and penile reconstruction.
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Meanwhile a report published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine states that procedures to improve the length and girth of the penis are not 'peer-reviewed'. The study also cites the case of a 49-year-old man who arrived at an hospital emergency department with skin necrosis after using petroleum injections for numerous years.
Brenna Cooper