What parts of the penis are irreparably damaged by the implant?

[QuestionGuy]

I know that the implant is considered a one-way-street, (in that the surgery decimates a lot of the natural tissue to get the implant in), but does any of the previous functionality survive? And perhaps some natural engorgement becomes additive to the implant cylinders?

With the right stimulation, I can get a great erection, and in the few seconds prior to orgasm, it’s pretty engorged. My issue is that the base is really unstable, and also: if I stop the stimulation, this engorged erection fades fast. It dies in about 3 seconds. If the whole thing was a wet noodle all the time, I wouldn’t care what the implant displaced as it went in. But in my case, I am wondering what (if any) of my functional might be spared?

Would things like TRIMIX gel or Cialis still help engorge the glans? or any other parts of the penis? Or has all organic functionality been replaced by the synthetic?

[FunGuy69]

I am not an expert but here are my 2 cents:

corpora cavernosa, the spongy tissue on penis which gets filled by blood causing an erection, are removed to put the 2 cylinders of implant.

Implant is a semi-permanent/long-term solution. The implant can be surgically removed if there is a problem but you don't get the corpora cavernosa back.

Because the corpora cavernosa is removed, pills like cialis has very little to no effect. Some people see a little engorgement of the head because some tissue at the tip is spared during implant surgery.

However, you don't have to worry about any additive effects from pills etc. With implant, you can be harder and a better performer than a male porn star, so why should you think about adding a little effect from cialis?

Btw, like you, I too could get a decent erection with the right stimulation, but could not maintain it. It was useless and embarassing. So, I chose implant.

Good luck!

[David_R]

My understanding has been that the corpora cavernosa is not removed. Rather it is squished (it's like a sponge, I've heard), which permanently damages it.

[Lost Sheep]

My understanding has been that the corpora cavernosa is not removed. Rather it is squished (it's like a sponge, I've heard), which permanently damages it.

Some surgeons remove the cavernosum tissue completely, and some don't. There have been studies where some tissue remaining and some erentile function also remains, even slightly restored, Not nearly enough to actually get an erection but it is as if the implant partially cured erectile dysfunction. This is in no way a hope you can hang your hat on.

A seperate type of tissue is in the shaft and glans/head of the penis. Corpus Spongiosum. This engorges by a separate mechanism than the corpus cavernosum and is unaffected for good or ill by the implant. That engorgement/tumescence does contribute to fullnes of the erect penis. Oral meds can aid engorgemenr of the spongiosum but I don't thinkany injectable helps the spongiosum.

[Namirrah]

A seperate type of tissue is in the shaft and glans/head of the penis. Corpus Spongiosum. This engorges by a separate mechanism than the corpus cavernosum and is unaffected for good or ill by the implant. That engorgement/tumescence does contribute to fullnes of the erect penis. Oral meds can aid engorgemenr of the spongiosum but I don't thinkany injectable helps the spongiosum.

The corpus spongiosum shares a blood supply with the corpus cavernosum, but lacks the collapsible veins of the CC. This is why engorgement of the cs can be so variable and transient.

[Gt1956]

Perhaps another data point. In the videos that I have seen. The measuring device that determines the length of implant that your body can accept. It has a ball on the end that when it is inserted appears to mush most of the spongy tissue out of the way. In my opinion, any tissue that may still try to function doesn't stand much of a chance against the hydraulic force inside the cylinders.
The length of the implant isn't just some mysterious number that the surgeon picks or is based upon the length of penis you want. It is determined by what will fit in the length of penis that you bring to the surgery.
The main things that you'll gain with an implant is an erection that lasts longer that 3 seconds & it works every day of the week, twice a day of you so desire. If this doesn't sound like good enough reasons then I don't know what can be said to sway you.
You would be moving away from a penis that doesn't work. You're trying to strike a bargain with the devil in my opinion. By wanting some poor functions brought into your life after surgery. The erection with the implant will put your old penis to shame.

[QuestionGuy]

Thanks for all these great responses everyone. So I now get it. The base of the shaft will be supported by the cylinders, but I'm still confused about the head of the penis. All the demo videos I've seen are of a man who is in a clinical setting, and therefore, not sexually aroused. Is the engorgement of the head a separate bodily function from the engorgement of the shaft? I have heard of "floppy head" where the implant creates an erection, but the head remains soft. I would think everyone would have "floppy head" if the surgery decommissioned the glands functionality ( like it does to the corpus cavernosum)

[Lost Sheep]

A seperate type of tissue is in the shaft and glans/head of the penis. Corpus Spongiosum. This engorges by a separate mechanism than the corpus cavernosum and is unaffected for good or ill by the implant. That engorgement/tumescence does contribute to fullnes of the erect penis. Oral meds can aid engorgemenr of the spongiosum but I don't thinkany injectable helps the spongiosum.

The corpus spongiosum shares a blood supply with the corpus cavernosum, but lacks the collapsible veins of the CC. This is why engorgement of the cs can be so variable and transient.

Thanks for the (new to me) information.

Somewhere, the blood supply to the Cavernosum must separate from that supplying the Spongiosum, but your mention of the (colapsible veins) mechanism for closing off the venous draining of the two different tissues sheds a lot of light for me.

Thanks again. I always like to be better educated.

[Lost Sheep]

Thanks for all these great responses everyone. So I now get it. The base of the shaft will be supported by the cylinders, but I'm still confused about the head of the penis. All the demo videos I've seen are of a man who is in a clinical setting, and therefore, not sexually aroused. Is the engorgement of the head a separate bodily function from the engorgement of the shaft? I have heard of "floppy head" where the implant creates an erection, but the head remains soft. I would think everyone would have "floppy head" if the surgery decommissioned the glands functionality ( like it does to the corpus cavernosum)

Note: The entire length of the penile shaft (actually, from deep in the pelvic crus all the way up to the end of the implant -which is SUPPOSED to be about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way into the glans- ) is supported (made stiff/rigid) by the implant.

"Floppy head" is not referring to an un-engorged glans. It refers to the glans being able to flop over because the implant does not support the glans. This is because the implant does not go into the glans deeply enough (getting close enough to the tip of the penis/glans) to prevent that flop-over. Usually because the surgeon did not get the right fit (length) of implant.

Too long of an implant risks the tip of the implant eroding through the tip of the penis at worst, or the "S-Curve Deformity". Too short of an implant results in floppy head (also known as "SST Syndrome". Both require removal and replacement of the implant (revision). The former is the more dangerous condition, but either is unacceptably sloppy surgical procedure.

[David_R]

At a hospital-sponsored prostate cancer survivors meeting I attended a while back, a visiting urologist explained that the engorgement (aka swelling) of the glans with arousal is a completely different system than an erection. After a prostatectomy some guys have this engorgement function return and some do not. I wouldn't think that an implant (without a prostatectomy, I mean) would have any effect on glans engorgement, but I'm no medical professional, so this is a guess. (In my own case, after my prostatectomy and implant I still have glans engorgement with arousal, which is nice.)