Dear Sasha I recently saw an ad in the Mirror about penis enlargement using a vacuum pump method. I would like your opinion as to whether the method is effective and if it is safe. Are there any side effects, like the possibility of not being able to have kids in the future? I am really thinking about using it. Do you think it really helps solve the problem of premature ejaculation? >> Man with questions

Dear Man,

I talked to Dr. Robert Stubbs, who has been doing surgical penis enlargement in Canada for many years. He won't endorse the pump, one reason being that it is being marketed to do things it can't. The pump was previously sold as a device used for impotence, to temporarily create an erection. But now that everyone is jumping on the enlargement bandwagon, the contraption has suddenly developed magical attributes.

With the pump, your penis will get swollen and erect, after which you place a ligatura (cock ring) around the base of it to maintain the erection. The pump produces a condition called lymphedema, where the pressure forces the capillaries in the penis to break and produce something similar to a hickey. It leaves iron deposits so that the skin darkens and becomes thicker. "This apparatus will temporarily make it look impressive," says Stubbs, "but it doesn't lengthen the penis. Anyway, for most men, it's what dangles that's important." The pump will certainly not solve premature ejaculation, but neither will penis elongation surgery.

Lymphedema is a pathological condition. If you decide to go for a real surgical procedure, Stubbs says this condition may make you more prone to infection and you're at a higher risk for improper wound-healing. Check out his Web site at www.psurg.com to get all the gruesome details about penis enlargement. And read the ad. Does it say that the pump will help you gain inches or is it the surgical procedure? Aha, got you there!

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