‘A little extra artillery’

Correction: The photo that ran with Neil Steinberg’s column that posted Friday was misidentified. It is a different patient on the “Dr. Down Below” program.

Why did Jordan Eldridge, of Michigan City, Indiana, submit to a series of 20 injections in a part of his anatomy where most men would never want even one?

He considers before answering.

“Well ...” the 33-year-old landscaper began. “I guess it’s just part of the culture. Bigger is better. I never really had too much of a problem in the bedroom. I have had a girlfriend tell me my johnson was small before. But it was an argument. You have to take it with a grain of salt.”

I’ve always thought penile enhancement is invariably some variety of scam.

“Historically, you’ve got to be careful what is out there,” agreed Dr. Jagan Kansal, a board-certified urologist in Chicago who specializes in sexual and reproductive medicine. His practice, Down There Urology, performed the PhalloFILL procedure on Eldridge. “There are a lot of advertisements promising you take a pill and your penis is going to get bigger. Oral medications won’t do that.”

Eldridge said he did not do it for romantic reasons.

“I asked my girlfriend that I was with currently, and she said, ‘No, I don’t think you need to do it.’”

Then why?

“It’s more of a personal thing,” he said. “You know, guys in the locker room. Everybody takes a glance, and you don’t want to be the smallest guy. Don’t want to be the biggest, but it never hurts to have a little bit more.”

PhalloFILL does not make the penis longer — Kansal says no reputable procedure promises that — but wider. Eldridge received shots of a substance called hyaluronic acid filler, a natural compound found in body joints.

Eldridge got 20 shots at four sessions in March and was surprised and happy to find the procedures performed by Kansal’s partner, Dr. Fenwa Famakinwa Milhouse, and an assistant.

“It was odd but pleasant,” Eldridge said. “I expected it to be an old man, but it was two beautiful women doing the procedure. What more could you ask for?”

Some medical authorities ask that men not do this, casting any attempt at penile enlargement as seeking a medical solution to a psychological problem.

“There’s little scientific support for nonsurgical methods to enlarge the penis,” states a Mayo Clinic web page devoted to penis enlargement. “And no trusted medical organization endorses penis surgery for purely cosmetic reasons.”

The Mayo Clinic page highlights the various methods — pills, lotions, vacuum pumps, stretching — dismissing them as some combination of unnecessary, ineffective and dangerous.

“Results may be disappointing,” the Mayo Clinic writes of the injection method, which sometimes uses body fat. “Some of the injected fat may spread unevenly or be reabsorbed by the body. This can lead to a penis that is curved, unevenly shaped and irregular looking. Scarring and problems with sensation and firmness of erections can also happen. Several other products have been used for injection, but with similar poor results.”

Eldridge said his results are uneven, but only a little.

“It’s not as perfectly symmetrical as God made it, but I don’t think too many people can compete with Him,” he said. “It’s pretty good.”

All told, he’s enthusiastic.

“It’s not that big of a change but gives myself more confidence,” he said. “I would recommend it to any guy that needed a little plumpness.”

His procedure cost $7,500. Eldridge got a discount because he agreed to be featured in a reality TV series, “Dr. Down Below,” the practice is producing, hoping to be picked up by TLC.

“With men’s health and genital issues, everyone wants to hear about it, and no one wants to ask about it,” Kansal said.

Eldridge compares the procedure to common women’s surgery.

“No one thinks twice about breast implants,” he said. “I think it’ll be a lot more popular in the future.”

Many men would be reluctant to discuss this with friends, never mind offer their stories to the media. He’s OK seeing this in the newspaper?

“I’m an open guy,” Eldridge said. “I’m a humorous guy. I don’t care. If you want to make fun of me, make fun of me. I feel that people who are making fun probably want to do it themselves. I think it’s cool. I would recommend it to any guys who have personal confidence issues. It’s just a confidence booster. You know you’ve got a little extra artillery.”