While many people are asleep in the deep of night, some men are searching for ways to boost their bulge.
“Our inquiries usually come in around 2 a.m.,” Dr. David Shafer, a Manhattan plastic surgeon, told The Post. “Patients, I think, late at night are Googling, ‘How can I increase the size of my penis?’”
Shafer has been giving new meaning to the phrase “supersize me,” pumping private parts full of filler at his Fifth Avenue clinic to enhance their width and girth.
A Botox ace, Shafer pivoted about eight years ago when a patient asked if he could have filler injected into his penis.
“A light went off in my head, and I said, ‘Well, you know what? We could — if you want to be the guinea pig,’” Shafer recalled.
“We put a couple of syringes [in], and then he called me about a week later. He said, ‘Dr. Shafer, this is amazing, but we need to put a lot more in.’ And so that was the start of, like, a long journey.”
That’s how “S.W.A.G.” — Shafer Width And Girth — was born. Shafer charges $10,000 to $20,000 a pop, with maintenance injections costing about half that.
More than 8,000 procedures later, padded packages are on the rise, despite potential risks and a reputation rooted in locker-room whispers and late-night internet searches.
Sizing up below the belt
S.W.A.G. takes about half an hour — 10 minutes for the numbing to take hold and 10 to 20 minutes for the filler to be injected underneath the skin of the penis.
“We put local anesthesia right at the base of the penis,” Shafer explained. “It’s similar to when you’re at the dentist and you get a shot in your gums, and then your teeth go numb.”
The filler is made of hyaluronic acid, a sticky substance naturally produced by the body. In the lab, hyaluronic acid is engineered to be stiffer.
“We use the stiffest form of the hyaluronic acid for this filler,” Shafer explained. “It’s the one that’s FDA-approved for jawline augmentation.”
“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.”
Dr. David Shafer
The primary effect is amplified girth, Shafer said, but because the constant weight of the filler stretches the skin, patients tend to also see an increase in flaccid length.
“The other change that can occur over time is people who are more of a ‘grower’ tend to be more of a ‘shower’ because the weight of the filler holds the penis more in an ‘out’ position, and so they get less of that ‘shrinkage’ when it’s cold,” Shafer said.
The filler doesn’t last forever — typically only two years. Shafer said it needs to be “topped off” with about a third to a half of what was injected in the initial treatment.
Exact costs for the first treatment and subsequent ones depend on the amount of volume needed.
Joining the members only club
Initial size sort of matters if you’re interested in S.W.A.G.
Shafer said he sees a range, from small to average and above average.
“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,” Shafer shared.
“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.”
One patient, who would only identify himself as a 38-year-old airport worker, said he was “average” when he first saw Shafer in 2023.
He said his manhood grew two to three times thicker, and his self-image grew immensely.
“I felt a little bit more confident in talking to people,” the New Yorker told The Post. “The last thing you ever want to feel in the back of your head is that you’re, like, inadequate. And I felt like it helped a lot with that.”
The pain only lasted three days, and now he visits Shafer’s office about every six months for maintenance.
Men who are not good candidates for this procedure? Those with a micropenis, which is an unusually small penis. Shafer pointed out that you need somewhere to put the filler.
“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 added.
Cushion for the pushin’
After the procedure comes the, uh, fun part. Patients are advised to mold the filler in their penis in the days post-injection.
“An example I give is like when you’re making a pizza, and you push the dough, and the dough keeps wanting to come back to the center,” Shafer explained.
“The filler has a cohesive property to it, and so you keep wanting to spread that filler while it’s settling in, so that it’ll stay smooth. That first week is the most important.”
During that time, patients are advised not to have penetrative sex so as not to push the filler toward the base.
Shifting of the product can lead to contour abnormalities, which Shafer said is the No. 1 risk of any filler.
These abnormalities can manifest as lumps, bumps, asymmetry and visible deformation.
“[Molding it] is like when you’re making a pizza, and you push the dough, and the dough keeps wanting to come back to the center.”
Dr. David Shafer
“Contour issues generally aren’t a big deal because they’re treatable,” Shafer said. “There is an enzyme [that] can work specifically on hyaluronic acid fillers [to] help melt it or soften it.”
There could also be minor swelling, tenderness at the injection site and some bruising.
A 48-year-old Long Islander, who declined to give his name to The Post, said he only experienced mild soreness, “barely any swelling” and almost no bruising when he visited Shafer about five years ago.
“The worst part for most people, including me, is simply taking that first step because our imaginations can make it seem much more intimidating than it really is,” said the finance worker, who dropped about $18,000 for the initial treatment and $5,000 for maintenance sessions, which happen every six to 12 months.
“It’s been a huge confidence boost and has changed how I carry myself and in that satisfying sense of having something more substantial,” he added. “The added weight and girth create a presence I didn’t fully expect but really value.”
What to know before you grow
In his practice, Shafer has followed 20 patients over two years to track results. He said they reported very high satisfaction — including with sex — and very few complications.
Still, there is the possibility of phallus fiascos.
“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,” Shafer said.
“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.”
It’s also crucial to use high-quality products and undergo the procedure in sterile conditions, he added.
Looking ahead, Shafer praised the science behind hyaluronic acid plastic biostimulators, which are designed to stimulate the body to grow its own tissue to support, firm and tighten the injection site.
“I think we’re going to get much more long-lasting and natural results when these come out, which will be a nice improvement,” Shafer said.
