By Dr Maryline Plasqui

From peels to hair removal to medical penoplasty, how can men be treated?

More and more men are venturing into aesthetic medicine practices, and no longer have any qualms about asking to have their genital area treated. It is now down to the doctors to suggest the most suitable solutions for their requests.

Well-known and extremely popular among men for many years now, laser hair removal is the leading medical treatment for getting rid of unwanted hair in the genital region, the pubis, the cleft of the buttocks, the anal area and even the buttock cheeks. The motivations for this request are varied: hygiene, what other people think, their partner’s preferences, the way it looks…

This method, which must be carried out or supervised by a doctor specialising in lasers, can permanently remove almost all the hair on the treatment area in 8 to 12 sessions (depending on the laser used). As the sessions progress, the hair will become finer and more sparse until it disappears completely, if the treatment is completed in full.

All types of hair can be removed using a laser, you just need to use the right laser for the skin type. We can treat pale skin to mixed-race or even dark skin. However, the hairs must be dark in colour for laser hair removal to be suggested, as very light-coloured or white hairs cannot be treated using this method. In preparation, the treatment area is shaved in order to optimise the results.

Although laser epilation in the genital area has become commonplace, handy and affordable, we must not ignore certain particularities:

The darker pigmentation in some areas might require a laser for darker skin (Nd-Yag) which is, unfortunately, more painful. Applying an anaesthetic cream beforehand can ease any discomfort.
The scrotum, because it is designed to protect the testicles, cannot be treated with as much success as other areas. This is because we have to use lower intensity lasers in order to protect the testicles, and these can sometimes prove less effective.
The presence of finer hairs in some areas, such as the scrotum or even the anus, can limit the results of the treatment in these areas. Regular shaving, well ahead of the laser treatment, generally enables us to get round this problem.

The cost and number of sessions required depend on the area to be treated. On average, it costs around 150 to 200 euros per session for a “Male Brazilian” or “Malezilian” (all genital hair removed) and between 80 and 120 euros per session for just the cleft of the buttocks (“crack”).

Treating a man's intimate area

Medical penoplasty

All men have, at least once in their lifetime, wondered how to make their penis look bigger, whether motivated by what other people might think (tight clothing, communal showers, saunas, etc.) or a desire to please their partner. For many years, surgery was the only answer. Now, however, there is a straightforward and effective solution: medical penoplasty using hyaluronic acid. Recently, this method, which aims to improve the appearance and increase the girth of the penis, has proven extremely popular with the male population.

The technique involves injecting a fairly significant amount of hyaluronic acid into the gliding plane of the skin covering the penis, with the aim of increasing the penis’ diameter. Depending on the size of the penis and the quantity injected, its circumference can be increased by around 1cm (average result for 10 syringes of hyaluronic acid) to 4cm (average for 30 syringes or more). The penis’ length is not affected by this method, only its diameter. Equally, the patient’s wellbeing and pleasure cannot be directly improved. The increased volume is visible immediately, both when at rest and when erect. This completely pain-free technique is carried out in a doctor’s surgery in around 30 minutes, under local anaesthetic. It must be performed by a specialist doctor who is used to performing such procedures, so that the results are as harmonious and natural as possible.

The penis reaches its maximum volume after about a month and the effects last around a year and a half, depending on the patient and the quantity injected. It can be a good idea to have a top-up injection, with a smaller amount of hyaluronic acid, after around 10 months to maintain the maximum results for longer. Some precautions must be taken after injection, namely refraining from sexual activity or tight clothing for 7 days and avoiding saunas, steam rooms and swimming pools for 15 days after a medical penoplasty. The cost and results depend on how much hyaluronic acid is injected. On average, a penoplasty with 10ml of HA costs between 2,000 and 2,800 euros, and for 20 syringes it costs between 4,000 and 5,500 euros.

Anal bleaching

Originating in the porn industry, anal bleaching is a relatively new and controversial method that lightens the colour of the dark skin around the anus. It must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist doctor, as the skin in this area has a very fragile mucous membrane which can easily be damaged, and this can have serious consequences. There are two recommended options: a depigmenting peel, which requires two sessions spaced about a month apart, and a depigmenting laser treatment, which requires 2 to 3 sessions spaced a month to six weeks apart, depending on the laser used. The anus’ brown colour will gradually fade. Only people with pale to mixed-race skin are suitable for this treatment.

The cost varies according to the technique. Expect to pay around 300 to 450 euros for a depigmenting peel, or 250 to 450 euros per laser session.