A short comparison of Malleables and Inflatables

[Marktheman05]

Hello everyone!

To summarize the background story, I had a Titan implant, the tubing failed within 2 years of the initial surgery. I underwent a revision surgery that got infected on week 4, and then I had a salvage to a Malleable implant (Tactra). I have documented some of this in another thread for those who are curious.

There is a lack of information on malleable implants, so I wanted to share my experiences with it so far and make a quick comparison to the Titan, which I had before. I hope this information can help someone.

Main points below.

Concealment:
The Titan (IPP) wins in terms of concealment. It remained hidden perfectly, just a long flaccid penis without any issues. With the malleable implant, I position it downward, pointing towards the ground, and it naturally bends slightly to the left (around 5 o'clock). I have to wear tighter underwear, and sometimes, for added comfort, I wear two regular underwear to avoid any potential markings on my pants or shorts. This can be problematic, and I'm not able to conceal it just as well as was able to conceal the IPP, but I can conceal it enough to live with it thus far. Positioning it comfortably and using tighter underwear is key with the malleable.

Sexual Performance:
The Titan (IPP) wins in terms of rigidity. It is simply more rigid and has no issues with maintaining axial rigidity. Even with my looser than normal suspensory ligament, the erection quality was fantastic, and I had no issues with any sexual positions. However, with the malleable implant, I am unable to perform satisfactorily in all positions. There is some slight bending during anal sex or with a partner who is tighter than usual. Sex with the Titan was definitely superior. The downside of the Titan is that if you are concerned about concealing it from a partner, you can't let them touch your scrotum, as they might notice something is different. With the Tactra (malleable), this is not a concern as it feels completely natural. However, the trade-off is that it is not as hard, and in my experience, it did affect some positions that I previously enjoyed. Unfortunately, there are trade-offs here. While one implant is more performant, it is also more unnatural.

Post-operative Recovery:
The Tactra (malleable) wins in terms of post-operative recovery. Just one week after surgery, I felt basically normal with no scrotum pain at all. I could function almost normally. This was not the case with the IPP. My recovery from the initial surgery with the Titan was close to traumatic. I experienced intense pain for three weeks straight and couldn't walk without feeling pain >= 8/10. For the first year, I also felt discomfort and pain around the reservoir during intense workouts, such as running.

Comfort:
The Titan (IPP) wins in terms of comfort. After the initial recovery phase, the IPP felt as normal as my regular non-implanted penis. I could sleep normally and wear any clothes I previously wore. As mentioned earlier, the only discomfort I had with the IPP was around the reservoir area during heavy workout sessions in the first year post-surgery. With the malleable implant, I currently feel no discomfort unless I wear tighter underwear. After a long day wearing tight underwear and formal work clothing, it can be annoying and induce some pain. Basically, when I have to force concealment for a long time, I have to tighten up my underwear, which generates some discomfort (pain ranging from 1 to 2 out of 10). Also, I have to be mindful of certain movements, the current positioning of the implant, and how clothing or my body will interact with it. Essentially, I don't want to accidentally hit or hurt my erect penis. Being mindful of its position has become second nature, but there are situations where I need to be more cautious, which can be slightly annoying and decrease overall comfort.

Post-operative Lifestyle Adjustments:
The Titan (IPP) wins. Except for heavy exercising (which is a big deal for some, and it definitely was for me), there were no major adjustments with the IPP. Sleep, work, and daily life remained unchanged. Sex was phenomenal after the initial recovery. However, receiving oral sex or handjobs from unaware partners can be problematic if you don't redirect their attention from your scrotum. You can use underwear to keep your balls inside and always redirect their hands if you want to completely conceal your implant. If you are married or have a fixed partner, this is not a concern. On the other hand, with the malleable implant, sleep, work, exercise, and sex require adjustments. I can sleep in any position, but I have to be mindful of transitions. I need to position my penis first and then transition into a new sleeping position. I cannot simply throw my body weight over my penis as I used to do before the implant (or did with the IPP), as it can cause injury. This is a minor annoyance that requires some adjusting. As for work and daily life, clothing needs to be assessed to ensure proper concealment of the semi-hard penis. Sex also requires adjustments depending on body anatomy and erection angle, as the malleable implant doesn't have the same axial rigidity as the inflatable one. Some positions that require acute angles have been problematic for me with the malleable implant, such as regular missionary sex. However, any positions that require an erection angle of 90 degrees or greater (like reverse cowgirl) are normal and great.

Partner's Perception:
Split.
You will have better performance with the IPP, but you need to conceal or have your fixed partner get used to the tubing and pump paraphernalia contained in your scrotum. As for the sensation during handjobs or when touched, both types of implants can be felt by your partner's hand without any natural engorgement. However, with some engorgement, both the IPP (if not pumped to the max) and the malleable implant can feel relatively natural. Overall, I think the malleable implant feels more natural. It provides no clues as to whether you have an implant or not. Thus, it won't affect your partner's perception of your erection. In my experience, using the malleable implant with a cockring has been a very good combination. With this combination, you cannot tell that I have an implant at all.

Revisions, risks, and costs:
Malleale wins ahnd I have zero concerns about my malleable implant breaking at the moment. Even if it were to break tomorrow, I know that within a week of surgery, I would be living as close to normal as possible, with a very low chance of infection compared to an IPP revision. I also know that I'm not dependent on a few specialists who have experience with installing an IPP. It is easier to find surgeons to perform a malleable implant revision than to find a highly experienced IPP specialist. In short, there is a much smaller chance of needing a revision with a malleable implant. Even if it breaks or extrudes, the recovery is faster, it costs less (if you are not insured), and it is easier to find a surgeon to perform the revision.

Girth/Length:
I initially omitted this part of the comparison, given that today, there are options to increase girth if you opt for the malleable device, which indeed provides less girth than the IPP device. The other caveat is that this difference will be mostly noticeable if you are at a point with your erectile dysfunction (ED) that your natural engorgement is basically null. Otherwise, pairing the malleable implant with a proper cockring (I like simple/thick rubber shaft-only rings) will keep your natural engorgement 'trapped,' and you'll basically have the same girth as you naturally had before the implant. This combination has been great for me personally, and it doesn't make me feel like I lost a lot of girth going from natural to the IPP to the malleable with a cockring. That is my biased reason for omitting this part of the comparison in the first place. However, without any other aids (such as pills, rings, Peruvian maca, etc.), the girth provided by a Titan is definitely greatly superior to the unenhanced malleable girth. Length is surgeon dependent and not really implant dependent, but yes, an inflatable device can be slightly oversized and provide an additional 0.5-1cm of length. However, I wouldn't count on it, and I cannot say that is an advantage of the IPP device.
Lastly, currently, there are safe fillers that can be used to enhance girth beyond even what you could achieve with a Titan device. I think it's easier to apply those fillers if you have a malleable device as you don't risk perforating the inflatable cylinders. In short, unenhanced girth is greater with the IPP. A malleable device with some additional aids will likely provide you with the girth you naturally had, and with the current fillers, you can have a very thick penis even with the thinner malleable rods. This is something I'll consider if I decide against the IPP in the future.


Summary:

IPP:
+ More comfortable
+ More performant
+ More girth
- More unnatural
- More expensive
- More revisions (infections and failures)


Malleable:
+ Simple device and surgery
+ Cheap
+ Fewer revisions due to infections, failures, and improper installations
+ With some engorgement, it feels as normal as a regular penis (use a cockring)
+- Girth can be enhanced up to your natural potential and more with fillers, rings, pills.
- Performance is inferior to IPP in some positions
- Less comfort during regular activities
- Need to be mindful of concealment
- Sleep takes some adjusting
- Greater risk of accidental extrusion over a lifetime

Lastly, remember that both will help you have a fullfilling sex life.
As for myself, I'm still unsure If I want to deal with all the issues and risks associated with the inflatable device in exchange for the added comfort and performance.

Can you have anal sex with the malleable?

[principles]

Can you have anal sex with the malleable?

Yes. It's more of an angle issue than a rigidity issue. Strangely, missionary is actually one of the more challenging positions. The malleable is rigid but it's base/anchoring has to be able to swivel since it's always hard.

[implantguy1]

Principles can you answer my questions posted above?
Regards

[principles]

Hello Principles thank you so much for this post as I am considering malleable too.
Brother I have some questions, Can you please guide me.

1: If I ask you that despite all the problems what do you think that you will lice your life with malleable?
Means obviously sex is necessary part of our lives but if young man like you develop ED so what do you recommend he should opt malleable implant?

2: -What are the chances of erosion in malleable and had you discussed this issue with your Dr? And how we can reduce the chances of erosion?? Do the erosion chances increase with time or it remains constant??

3: What about concealment? Can you now easily sit in gatherings? By looking at you can someone know about your implant?? And if we are living in combine family system how can we conceal it?

4: What do you think if a man avoids anal and rough sex! so the rigidity of tactra is enough for happy sex life?

5: I think Malleable can stay with u life time but you have to change IPP after some years. So if a young man have ED obviously if he goes towards IPP he have to repeat surgery again after some years and he needs 3 to 4 surgeries in life. IF he goes towards malleable may be one implant will be enough.
After all the negative of malleable what do you recommend to a young person as you have a experience of both.

1- It's difficult to make a definitive recommendation between the two options. Personally, if I had the opportunity to choose between an unbreakable, uninfectable inflatable implant and a malleable implant, I would prefer the former despite any aesthetic inconveniences caused by the pump and tubing. Unfortunately, since that choice is not available and there are considerable risks associated with infections and malfunctions that may require additional surgeries, the decision becomes more complex. I continue to grapple with this choice, weighing the trade-offs between resilience, cost, time, performance, and comfort.

2- I vaguely remember coming across a statistic indicating a less than 10% chance of erosion within the first 10 years of malleable implantation. I'd need to refer to specific publications for more precise numbers. Except for accidental extrusion, the other type of extrusion (resulting from long-term weakening of the tunica wall due to the constant pressure of the implant tip) would be noticeable, providing you with sufficient time to develop a plan to prevent such an event from occurring, such as transitioning to an inflatable device in advance.

3- I can participate in any social event without being obstrusive with my implant. It's a matter of positioning and using proper underwear to keep the implant in the desired position, with the possibility of enduring some slight discomfort if you pressure your implant for many hours straight in a 'unnatural' position. It's manageable but not as comfortable as the inflatable device.

4- You can definitely do anal and rough sex. It's just that it might buckle a bit. The issue lies more in the angle rather than the rigidity of the implant, and certain positions might pose slight challenges depending on your individual anatomy and pre-op natural erection angle. Personally, I have found that sharp angles can be difficult for me due to a lack of sufficient axial or base rigidity, which can cause the implant to buckle when thrusting with significant force.

5- Please refer to (1) for more details. I will regularly review this decision and provide updates on this thread to ensure that the comparisons and potential recommendations stay current. In the case of a virgin implantee, if cost is not a concern, one suggestion could be to initially choose the inflatable device and reevaluate later in the event of premature failure or infection.

[Marktheman05]

Can you have anal sex with the malleable?

Yes. It's more of an angle issue than a rigidity issue. Strangely, missionary is actually one of the more challenging positions. The malleable is rigid but its base/anchoring has to be able to swivel since it's always hard.

Thank you so much for answering my question. Would you say there are some positions that are impossible or just more difficult?

[principles]

Thank you so much for answering my question. Would you say there are some positions that are impossible or just more difficult?

YMMV. Based on my personal experience, all positions are feasible; it's just that I won't be able to thrust as fast or as hard as I would with the inflatable prosthesis, with some becoming not as pleasurable as they were, thus, your sex repertoire may naturally shift towards positions that you and the partner find more enjoyable and where you can perform well with the malleable prosthesis. Due to the requirement for concealment, the prosthesis needs to have swiveling capability, but this also hampers its performance under intense pressure, potentially causing buckling at acute angles. It's a trade-off between stowing it away for concealment and maintaining rigidity for optimal performance.

[Mark1974]

Thanks for all the information

[principles]

I have had both implants as well. Last December had revision surgery. They implanted a Titan and about 3 weeks later I was infected.
They removed the Titan and replaced it with a Malleable as a place holder. I was given the choice of keeping the malleable or in 6 months install another Titan. I chose to have the Titan installed. I learned the following:

* In my opinion if you are satisfied with malleable it is up to the job of having sex
* I did not like that it was erect all of the time. I am a bit on the larger side and finding a place to park it can be difficult at times.
* With the malleable I lost about 3/4" of girth and a little over a 1/2 inch of length. To me it felt way to small because of what I am used to.
* Surgical recovery with a malleable is easier.

Almost 8 weeks ago I went through another revision to have the malleable replaced with a Titan. I was told the greatest chance of infection is at the 4-6 week time frame. I seemed to have made it past that. However, I will feel more comfortable in a couple of weeks.
Since receiving the Titan I have recovered all but 1/16 inch of length and I picked up an extra 1/4 inch of girth. i.e. for all practical purposes I have recovered all of my previous size.

Good information! Keep us updated on your observations as you transition back to using the inflatable device.

[Marktheman05]

If erosion does occur is that the end of everything or can they fix it? I can't seem to get an answer about that.

[advaita]

This is also what I would like to clarify out of curiosity.
Normally, tissue erosion can theoretically go as far as piercing the glans.
I've seen a picture before showing a cylinder sticking out through the glans. Impressive!
Before that happens, is there repair or filler surgery?