Some men are paying nearly $20,000 for an enhancement procedure designed to increase penis size, but one doctor has urged caution for anyone thinking about trying it.
Known as S.W.A.G — short for Shafer Width And Girth — the treatment was created by plastic surgeon Dr. David Shafer and reportedly costs between $10,000 and $20,000 for the first session.
After that, patients typically return for ongoing “maintenance” injections, which can run at around half the initial price. The goal is to add more thickness, making the penis appear wider and increasing overall girth.
The appointment itself is relatively quick, taking about 30 minutes in total. Usually around 10 minutes is spent waiting for the anaesthetic to take effect, followed by up to 20 minutes for the filler to be placed under the skin.
While the injections are aimed at improving width and girth, they are not primarily intended to add length.
The substance used is a hyaluronic-acid-based filler — an ingredient commonly found in cosmetic and skincare treatments.
“We use the stiffest form of the hyaluronic acid for this filler, it’s the one that’s FDA-approved for jawline augmentation,” Dr. Shafer told the New York Post.
Dr. Shafer has said more than 8,000 men have undergone the procedure, adding that patient safety is treated as the top priority throughout.
“I found that nobody’s ever satisfied with what they have, or most people aren’t, and they always just want a little oomph to it,” he added.
“Part of my job is to make sure that what we’re doing is safe and realistic and not going beyond the bounds of what would be dangerous for a patient, and then also helping them keep touch with reality.”
However, he has also stressed that no injectable procedure is completely risk-free. One concern he highlighted is vascular occlusion — where filler can interfere with blood flow if it blocks a vessel.
He said: “There are kind of dreaded complications that can happen with fillers, and not just specifically for the penis, but anywhere in the body where you could have vascular occlusion, and that’s where the filler can block the blood flow to the area, and that’s why it’s very important to have an experienced injector and to have that enzyme, which can melt the filler, on hand.”
Shafer also noted the approach may not work for everyone, explaining that it isn’t considered appropriate for those with a micropenis because there needs to be enough area to place the filler effectively.
“It’s kind of like if you don’t have a very big canvas for your painting, you can’t make a big painting,” he continued.