TOPIC: Infections, Complications, Risks of PMMA?

@eqstudent

Thank you for your insightful research into unexplored territory. We all assume the associated risk when undertaking a new medical procedure. FBG can occur from a plethora of injectables in various parts of the body. Sometimes, our bodies just don't agree with our decisions. Good advice to all considering augmentation with PMMA. The pathology is similar, however, there are many variables as you well know. Some may experience serious adverse reactions long term; others may not have any. Some will be treatable. Some will require surgery. It is unwise to recommend such a procedure without acknowledging ALL associated risks. Thanks for shedding some light on this subject. Especially to some of the "young guns" that come on board and (due to their youth/ignorance) hop on board the PMMA proverbial wagon.

@hung,
" I would be very concerned about the use of this product for PE. I fear over the long haul you can expect the collagen to harden and eventually break down the tertiary tissue leading to necrosis. Hopefully a good plastic surgeon could save the penis.. Time will tell...but as for me FFT seems the best route. I wish you all the best and the girth augmenation is real but I really am terrified for long term consequences such as absorbtion(auto-immune) and migration(testicles). "

I understand your fear about the long-term consequences of pmma in our body, but we know the following points about pmma:-

1- It is used in human for more than 50 years ( Intra-ocular lenses in 1949 for cataract, for artificial joints and bone cement in spine ) without causing biological degradation or cancer and the pmma did not change in its composition.
2- It is used for more than 20 years as a tissue augmentation by Lemperle in europe.
This is an old article of Lemperle in 1991 for the worst PMMA generation "ArtePlast" in rats where he used the small beads 10 microns which he found later on that was the reason why he got 2.5% FBG in this product beside its irregular surface and its electro-static charges :-
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1994814
3- It had the FDA approval in 2006 .

Wouldn't be these 3 points enough in regard of long term complications of PMMA ??
In summary:- pmma is used for > 50 years in our body, so if there was one case of long term complication wouldn't we read about it ?? Would the FDA give the approval for this product to be injected in the face if there was a chance of ( hardening the collagen or break down the tissues surrounding it or absorption or migration) ??
N.B. we are talking only about the product per se (PMMA in general) and its late complications and not the technique of the doctor or the site of injection.
I think the only long term issues I will be more concerned are aesthetic looks (lumps and nodules) and Foreign Body Granulomas (6 months-5 years).

Gentlemen,

The risk is REAL. Nobody with a clear conscience can deny that. I cannot over emphasize the seriousness of undergoing any form of Phalloplasty including PMMA. New members join daily and witness the results some have obtained with PMMA and immediately book an appointment. They do not even stop to think about short or long term complications that may arise. They do not read. Every day I get asked the same questions MANY, MANY, MANY times that have already been answered on PhalloBoards (usually more than once). It's actually quite frustrating. Use your brain and the power to read people!

This isn't a video game and you cannot "start over/reset" your decision. If you haven't read every piece of literature and all of the information at our old site as well as this one, you are absolutely insane to go through with the procedure. If you have a normal sized penis, I always recommend leaving it alone!

I DO NOT feel that PMMA is a ticking time bomb. I DO believe that some people will experience foreign body rejection. As Fran and (if you've been reading) countless others have pointed out in numerous posts, FBG is rare but DOES occur and can at times be difficult to treat or even lead to more devastating complications. You are playing russian roulette with your penis. Having lived without a fully functional penis for over 15 years, I was/am prepared to live with my decision if things take a turn for the worse. There simply are ZERO methods available at present to enlarge the penis that have been proven safe and efficacious long term.

When I see single men with a normal or large penis undergo PMMA, it makes me wonder about their intelligence or whether they have severe psychological issues. I am a guinea pig. I have experienced no complications but am only 3 months post op. As a moderator and friend to all, I will remain on this board/forum for years and update any changes both positive or negative. I am indebted to those like CHL, EP, Fran and others that have come forward courageously and shared openly what others were only willing to discuss with me via PM. It is their servitude and experience that help to educate patients and prepare them when things take a turn for the worse. I applaud all who come forward and share, despite the ridicule and embarrassment they may face/feel. It is the mark of a good man.

I tip my hat to all the courageous victims of PMMA gone wrong,

Miracle7

Thanks a lot EP.

Great table and very informative.

At the same time, my uneducated guess is that CHL refers to something else: his use of the verb "titrating" would seem to refer to manufacturing of ad-hoc percentage product from mixing official products with different concentrations. Unless of course I've plain misunderstood his post, which is quite possible as I have hinted in my previous post.

bighat wrote: It would be enlightening to here from our friend Dr. Lemperle on this case. I rememember in a prior post he commented that something to the effect that a "document case of granuloma in penis" remains. Surely this qualifies. I would like to understand perhaps other risk factors associated with this type of outcome. Scary.

He'd be happy to contact the Dr who removed it and discuss the case with him. But that wont happen. I don't consider Fran Berlins story at all credible to be honest and would urge everyone to take his information with a large pinch of salt.

I've posted two blogs full of stories of complications with PMMA in the penis. They are in Portuguese but the google translator works pretty well. There are also some photos. Anyone wanting to know more about these complications should try and contact the guys who run the blogs.

We've discussed PMMA concentration, type of cannula and injection site as reasons for the nodules we are seeing. But, I'm sure I've read some Dr's claim poor tecnhique is the main reason for nodules. Is it not possible that Dr C just isn't very good at bioplasty? We know he's considered a world leader, but that doesn't actually mean much other than he does alot of it. I'm not judging the guy at all as I've never had a procedure with him and maybe the nodules have nothing to do with his technique, but I don't think we should rule out the possibilty that he simply isn't very good at this. It does seem kind of odd that we are seeing so many reports of nodules. At times it seems as if half the guys having this report nodules. That surely can't be normal for PMMA, can it?

Well if your question is true, the evidence is when you have the problem. You'll know it when you have it & then i'll buy you a beer!

Could one of you guys refresh us on the Cadellus stuff? This was in the 180 page thread if I recall. I think we came to conclusion risk 1) Necrosis: not happending "later" happens early on due to needle, not just PMMA but injection related2) migration: PMMA biocompatible not going to cause cancer, your system can respond3) absorption: not discussed, not a lot of evidence4) granuloma: down the line, Kenalog shot.Lemperle said straight out biggest risk he sees is assymetry/aesthetics. It would be no suprise to see some people unhappy, including possibly me! Touch up sessions available for this. Changing your unit is a big risk, and once you change it there is no going back.

@hoddle10

Nobody is to blame or is "at fault". You've done a great deal to help others. Surgical as well as non-surgical augmentation of one's "pride and joy" is not something that should ever be entered into lightly. I implore all considering PMMA or any other augmentative procedure to explore all possible methods/procedures and the corresponding risks. Each procedure has pros and cons and associated risks. I would advise anyone under the age of 25 to use this forum as an education center. SO, EP, Supa, EQ, smartman, myself and others have touched on this topic before. That being said... I personally see PMMA as the best choice/alternative for Girth enhancement at this point in time. Who knows, in six months, PMMA could be considered outdated and a barbaric attempt of the past to enlarge one's penis. To our younger members/guests, realize that the ramifications of surgery are real. Complications (though rare) DO occur. I'd hate to be in my teens/twenties and lose the use of my penis; the joy that it brings both myself and my respective partner. It is catastrophic; physically, emotionally and mentally. I know. I suffered from peyronie's for 15 long years. Think about it people. That is all.

I have to report that after 12 days I have 4 hard areas in my base/groin area, they are basically at the entry points. I also have white spots and hardness at each entry point.
I am intermittently massaging them (partly because I am a very aware of them).

@eq - (( @smartman - You are all over the map, I am done with this. Good Luck! ))
Why have you said that?? The most important topic we have discussed before was:-
Was there any patient in the literature complaining of a serious complication (e.g. DISTANT ORGAN) from Newplastic which can be due to migration of the SMALL beads , correct ???
These studies you have mentioned above were NOT the answer for that Q. , so if you think it was the answer , I am sorry you might be right.
But the most important thing I have found is the presence of <1% of smaller beads in Artefill , if that is true , and as we were discussing before that the Newplastic has small beads too , so why did the FDA give the approval for Artefill in 2006 ??
So it is either the FDA has missed that serious complication of the possibility of migration of the small beads ---> liver or lung failure . It will be a big mistake if it was true .
Or they did know about the presence of <1% of small beads (< 20 micron) in Artefill , but they were 100% sure there will be no distant organ complication from these small beads (i.e. small beads doesn't cause any serious complication).
So eqstudent I dont know who is all over the map ?? I will let the others to decide about that . May be the 3 minutes were too short for the research.
Would you still do the chin augmentation with Artefill by your doctor ??

Hello boys! My first post. Was wondering what PMMA would look like on x ray or ct or mri scan once the collagen is laid down? Would my doctor know or suspect anything or diagnose it as something else if I didn't tell him? Also would any doctor know just by examining me if they have not seen my penis before PMMA? Cheers!

@mustang, why would Dr.C mix his own? I mean 10% comes out of a 10% container and same for 20% correct? So why any mixing need be performed?
However in the event that he did that anyway. We still should be able to see the batches and dates of the groups he mixed. I mean lets say he put 2-5% together to make 10% its not impossible to say which two he used. Also I would believe its to his benefit to track it based on a possible complication from a bad batch which would need to be traced to pinpoint the culprit. So there may be more questions that may arise from this practice if it is confirmed. I know Wade reads the boards so maybe they will address this and present a bit of re-assurance.

Two key articles on granulomas authored by Dr. Lemperle. Please, take a look, as they are very informative.

miracle7 wrote: ... shared openly what others were only willing to discuss with me via PM...

7x7 this is the second time you have mentioned other (potentially serious) complications that you know of.If you know of other serious complications you need to provide that info to the members. Just like in studies you don't have to provide any indidvidual info. Just the type and number instances of the complication similar to this table on page 7

atsh.co.ir/Catalogs/articles/Aphrodite%2...%20years%20study.pdf

I hope to see a similar table for each type of procedure (Alloderm, FFT, Elist, PMMA, ...) in a sticky thread so members can always find it.

Thanks for your great work moderating this site.