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I’m interested in an implant. I can accept a scenario where I get implanted and live a normal life for 30 years until I get an infection or ALCL at age 60 and give up on sex at that point. But there seems to be a non-negligible risk of reaching the end of the line sooner than that. A paper from the Mayo Clinic estimates a 50% risk of getting an infection by the 4th implant (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29795529/). There’s also cases in the literature of patients who reach the end of the line within a few years of first implant and can’t get another one (for example https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15992896) or end up very small after infection salvage (for example 4 cm distal in this case: “Reimplant after removal of infected inflatable penile implant” https://www.vjpu-issm.info/videos/peer- ... plantation). Having seen this kind of data I’m concerned that even after a successful operation I wouldn’t be able to find peace with it, always wondering when I might get an infection in the next revision surgery.
So those implanted at a young age, do you feel confident in what you have or do you often worry about losing it to future complications?

Edit:
Edited to add link to the Mayo paper from 2018 (also discussed elsewhere on this site, I should say that many posters disagree with their findings for various reasons). The case study is older as noted by the poster below and I suspect their experimental salvage procedure has been abandoned but I don’t know that. Added vjpu video.

I would certainly look for a more recent article on the topic than one that is 17 years old.

Does infection really mean game over for an implantee? From what i understand post implant infection is treatable albeit frustrating.

I'm not implanted but I have felt like I was on borrowed time anyway, with the implant merely a way of giving me a few more decades of action if/when conservative treatments fail.

TwoStep wrote:I’m interested in an implant. I can accept a scenario where I get implanted and live a normal life for 30 years until I get an infection or ALCL at age 60 and give up on sex at that point. But there seems to be a non-negligible risk of reaching the end of the line sooner than that. A paper from the Mayo Clinic estimates a 50% risk of getting an infection by the 4th implant (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29795529/). There’s also cases in the literature of patients who reach the end of the line within a few years of first implant and can’t get another one (for example https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15992896). Having seen this kind of data I’m concerned that even after a successful operation I wouldn’t be able to find peace with it, always wondering when I might get an infection in the next revision surgery.
So those implanted at a young age, do you feel confident in what you have or do you often worry about losing it to future complications?

Edit:
Edited to add link to the Mayo paper from 2018 (also discussed elsewhere on this site, I should say that many posters disagree with their findings for various reasons). The case study is older as noted by the poster below and I suspect their experimental salvage procedure has been abandoned but I don’t know that

In my interview with Eid, he told me that the increased risk with revisions is negligible, since the initial risk is so low. Keep in mind these devices should improve as we age and need replacements. Supposedly there is an electronic implant on the horizon even.

Tbh even if it all goes to shit, a few years of consistent performance will make up for my lifetime of disappointment thus far.

A small percentage of implant patients have problems and need repairs and revisions quickly. However the average implant lasts years, 10 years I believe. So most men would be 30-40 years away from needing to worry about a 4th revision. I am not real young, but I decided not to struggle with the pills and injections to get mediocre erections for very long and went for the implant. I didn’t want to wait and waste more years. It is not perfect as is outlined in many posts here. There is some difference in how it feels flaccid, the pump is a pain to deal with at times. The first two months were hell. It took me 4- 4.5 months to get pain free. Although now it is great, it gets hard and stays hard. I can have great sex anytime I want for basically as long as I want with 60 seconds notice. If I have problems with a future revision 20-30 years from now and I can’t be implanted anymore- I had 20 years of great sex I would not have had and at that point I will find a new hobby.

I probably don’t fit your definition of young, getting implanted next week and am almost 51. That being said, I have had no erections in the past 12 or so years, no medications have ever worked. Even if the implant is a bust, I haven’t lost anything, except maybe hope. Even if I got an infection that prevented a revision, I wouldn’t be any worse off than I am now. If pills or shots were working for me, I might feel differently though…

I'd like to point out that to a certain degree, many studies are out dated when they're published. Medical technology evolves at a fantastic rate. So the data can be old or even obsolete when printed. This is 1 very good reason to seek out a doctor that does implants frequently, is involved in peer studies, attends lectures & most importantly loves his profession.
Recent changes have been antibiotic treatments on the implants, the one touch surgical methods plus the newer agressive measuring method. Speaking of which, the last time that I looked at the AMS surgical manual it didn't mention the new method. That leads me to believe that the new measuring protocol was devised by surgeons & not by the manufacturers. The doctors learn & pass this knowledge around at seminars & conferences. If your doctor doesn't attend a few of these events a year he'll always be behind the technical learning curve. Oh, the penis stretching exercises by Perito is another new innovation.
So I personally place a lot of faith in that I've not read of a FT member that has "run out" of revisions. Has not been turned away cause he's "too small" or a lot of the other urban myths that show up here on occasion. Even the dreaded high infection rate fear isn't reflected by actual members reported experiences. Btw, the members aren't shy, if it happened, they'd report it.
After all the anguish, fears & other emotions are set aside. Implants are a proven treatment for a problem that doesn't respond to other treatments. Some members report that its better than their youthful penis.

TwoStep wrote:I’m interested in an implant. I can accept a scenario where I get implanted and live a normal life for 30 years until I get an infection or ALCL at age 60 and give up on sex at that point. But there seems to be a non-negligible risk of reaching the end of the line sooner than that. A paper from the Mayo Clinic estimates a 50% risk of getting an infection by the 4th implant (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29795529/). There’s also cases in the literature of patients who reach the end of the line within a few years of first implant and can’t get another one (for example https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15992896). Having seen this kind of data I’m concerned that even after a successful operation I wouldn’t be able to find peace with it, always wondering when I might get an infection in the next revision surgery.
So those implanted at a young age, do you feel confident in what you have or do you often worry about losing it to future complications?

Edit:
Edited to add link to the Mayo paper from 2018 (also discussed elsewhere on this site, I should say that many posters disagree with their findings for various reasons). The case study is older as noted by the poster below and I suspect their experimental salvage procedure has been abandoned but I don’t know that

In one sense or another, we are all living on borrowed time.

Whether you outlive your implant or die before it fails, consider what is the value of your sex life now vs what it could be with an implant. For this reason, many men elect less invasive treatments for ED for as long as they work. Lifestyle changes (better nutrition and exercise can help mitigate ED), Oral medications, suppositories, constriction rings with our without Vacuum Devices, injections or changing your sexual practices (using toys or tongue instead of penis). But when sex is impossible or unsatisfying, the risk of an implant pales in comparison to the benefits of being able to have penetrative sex.

You are right to do your research and properly weigh your options, risks and benetits.

32 and not concerned

I am 19 days post surgery and I have serious buyer's remorse since getting the implant. One of the reasons is the likelihood of having to get multiple replacements during my lifetime with the chances of a botched implant going up each time. I see way too many men on this site who have had multiple replacements within a short period of time

Although I tried lots of different treatments, I wonder if I could have done more to resolve my problems with ED. I see implants as being the last resort when nothing else works. I think the constant struggle with sex wore on me to the point where I made a rash decision.