More men are dropping cash on cosmetic surgery to a part of their body not many see. Photo / Getty Images
More men are dropping cash on cosmetic surgery to a part of their body not many see. Photo / Getty Images
The male reproductive organ isn't exactly renowned for its aesthetic appeal, let's be honest.
And while most men accept this reality with a shrug, it has emerged a minority of men harbour such deep insecurities about their wrinkly scrotums they're willing to invest substantially in their beautification.
We're not talking about a manscaping wax or a penis enlargement, although both are tried and true options for genital embellishment, reports news.com.au.
Rather, allow us to enlighten you on the medical phenomenon that is "Scrotox".
"Scrotox is the use of Botox, or one of the three neurotoxins for muscle relaxation, injected into the scrotum," says Dr Jayson Oates, principal surgeon and medical director of CALIBRE Clinic, a specialty practice dedicated to medical male enhancement procedures in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
A Scrotox procedure costs approximately $1000, and Dr Oates explains while some men choose Scrotox for cosmetic reasons, for the majority the procedure is medicinal.
"The most common reason we have guys asking for Scrotox is because their scrotum is tightly contracted, squeezing up on their testicles and it's painful," he says.
"The relaxation of the scrotum helps the testes to hang a bit lower and offers some relief."
Despite it's success it is still a very uncommon treatment, partly because so few people know it exists.
"But patients who have the procedure for cosmetic reasons, they generally tend to be sexually confident men … and the higher proportion would be gay."
A sight sure to freeze most men to their very core. Photo / Supplied
OUR SCROTOX GUINEA PIG
Enter Sean*, a single, hetero-blokey, 30-something tradie from the suburbs of Perth who heroically agreed to put his scrotum on the line in the name of journalism.
Sean had a chat with Dr Oates prior to the procedure to discuss his concerns, but after Dr Oates walked him through the procedure he said he felt "at ease".
"It's a very safe medication and has been around for a long time.
Scrotox injections aren't made into the testicle itself but into the skin, and it's absorbed into the nerves right where the injection is done, relaxing that muscle in the local area," he says.
In fact, Scrotox is often used to help boost men battling fertility issues as it allows relaxation of the area.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE?
Despite being a little nervous about not shaving his bits beforehand, Dr Oates got to business.
After having Sean apply some numbing cream to his jiggly bits, Dr Oates proceeded to inject
"I think I felt maybe two little pinches, that was all, and while that was going on Dr Oates and I were talking about sailing," Sean says. "Before I knew it, it was over."
Afterwards, Sean says he felt a little numb "down there" for a couple of days but not too bad.
TOTAL DOWNSTAIRS MAKEOVER
'Sean' and Dr Oates after the procedure. Photo / Supplied
It took Sean around seven days to feel the effects of the treatment.
"A week later, when I inspected the area, I saw a change.
It was less wrinkly and red … fuller and smoother," he says.
"I don't know if it's all aesthetics, but it definitely looks better, less like a medical car crash."
Sean took his new and improved scrotum out on the town the following weekend and, consequently, says he received some "very positive feedback" from a female acquaintance.
"Going forward, I'm hoping the word will spread far and wide throughout the land and my phone will start buzzing from adventurous females who want to see," he says. "But already within my social circle, everyone's like, 'Oh, show us your balls, Sean!'"
But, like all good fairytales, when the clock strikes 12 — or, in this case the Scrotox wears off at around the nine-month mark — our hero will inevitably turn back into a pumpkin and his scrotum will revert to its former wrinkly glory.
So, what's Sean's verdict on Scrotox?
"No one should be turned off by the procedure itself. It was safe, painless and really easy, so if anyone is curious, I'd tell them to go for it, you've got nothing to lose," he says. "It's two thumbs up from me."
A WORD OF WARNING
Associate Professor Peter Chin, spokesman for the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand (USANZ), tells news.com.au while Botox injections are relatively safe, there are risks to consider when undergoing the treatment.
"Botox is a medication derived from a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which is actually a toxin used to paralyse nerves in a specific area," Dr Chin says. "If you're injecting it into the muscle itself, you're paralysing the localised area, which will relax the scrotum and is relatively safe. But the scrotum is a very vascular organ, and there is a potential risk for the Botox to travel throughout the body if injected incorrectly."
Should this happen, the Federal Drug Authority (USA) reports regardless of where Botox has been injected, patients may experience difficulty swallowing, a change in voice, drooping of the eyelids and even problems with breathing.
Dr Chin says there's a higher risk of injecting Botox into the scrotum than putting it into superficial muscles, such as around the eye. "When you put it into a deeper structure, such as the cremaster muscle, no doctor can definitively say they won't go through a vein, which puts this procedure at a higher risk … but it can be a beneficial procedure for men who suffer from pain association with the retracting cremaster muscle," he says. "While it's an unlikely scenario with localised Botox injections and the risks for cosmetic surgery are low, if you're treating a muscle spasm and injecting it much deeper, you increase the risk for the toxin to travel."
