Can you make your penis younger with shockwave therapy?
No pain, no gain.
Okay, this doesn't sound great - shockwave therapy. You pay someone to give your penis electric shocks and that may or may not give you firmer erections.
I haven't tried it myself, but I am intrigued.
It's a treatment that's been around a while now, but it's hit the news because Bryan Johnson has been talking about it.
Who is Bryan Johnson?
Bryan Johnson is rich - he made his money in the tech sector. He's now regularly sharing his passion for 'reverse-aging'. He's spending a lot of money trying to slow the aging process, trying to stay young.
It's the Benjamin Button strategy, or the kind of thing that might land a Scooby Doo villain in a bit of trouble.
One of Johnson's big revelations has been that he's been swapping blood with his teenage son, Talmage.
Johnson says that he spends about USD$2 million each year on trying to stay young.
As well as the blood transfusions, there's a lot of focus on diet, exercise, and sleep. But he's also using shockwave therapy on his penis.
Why is Bryan Johnson using shockwave therapy on his penis?
According to Johnson, shockwave therapy is helping his penis to feel 15 years younger.
I don't know how you measure that but I guess it must means that your erections are feeling a bit firmer? Johnson is currently 46, so I imagine that he feels like he's getting erections like he did when he was 31.
Shockwave therapy is fairly widely available through aesthetician clinics - specialists who can offer botox, fillers, and all sorts of ways to help you present your best-self to the world.
How it works is that the technician uses a wand that delivers electric shocks to the penis. By all accounts, it hurts. I've had electrolysis on my face and I imagine it probably feels something like that - far from pleasant.
The theory is that the electric shocks create micro-tears in the tissue of the penis. The healing process creates fresh cells which might feel like it results in a firmer erection.
It's generally considered to be a fairly low-risk procedure, but there's no clinical data that confirms its effectiveness. You may experience some benefits - those benefits may be psychosomatic. Further research is required to determine whether you have spent your money wisely.
Is shockwave therapy the only way to a healthy penis?
I'm all for trying new things - if you've got some spare cash and you can cope with a few electric shocks to your dick, then shockwave therapy seems like it might be worth a try. But there other ways to keep your cock healthy and boost your erection potential.
Your penis is a part of your body that is very dependent on blood-flow. In a way, it's the canary in the coal mine when it comes to cardiovascular health.
Getting an erection is dependent on your cavernosal arteries - these are two blood vessels in your penis that are relatively small, less than a millimetre in diameter. Any hardening of your arteries - which is a common symptom of cardiovascular disease - will impact the quality of your erections.
Cardiovascular disease isn't the only reason that you might be struggling with erections - it could be diet-related or there could be mental health issues at play. But if your erections aren't as firm as they used to be and especially if you're not getting spontaneous erections, then it's an indicator that there's something else going on with your body that needs your attention.
How can I improve the health of my penis?
It sounds basic but the best way to keep your penis healthy and functioning is to get regular exercise, eat a balanced diet, and get plenty of sleep.
Smoking is bad for erections. Try not to smoke.
If you're doing all of that and you're still having problems, you need to talk to your doctor.
The After Dark edition
If you want to get visual with your appreciation of the penis, check out the After Dark edition and admire every inch of some impressively endowed dudes.
