A carefully planned reconstructive journey, aimed at helping you regain shape, the ability to pass urine, and a fuller sense of being at home in your own body.
Total penile reconstruction (phalloplasty) is a series of operations that rebuilds the penis using tissue from your own body. This is a big decision, and whether it is right for you depends on many things, both your health and your personal hopes. A face-to-face consultation is where the surgeons look at all of this together with you.
Everything begins with a private consultation. Your surgeons will listen to why you have come, examine you, review your medical history and any earlier operations, and talk openly about what this technique can and cannot offer. This is also when you discuss your goals: whether you most want to urinate while standing, regain sensation, restore shape, or be able to have sex. These goals shape the surgical choices.
Total penile reconstruction is almost always done under general anaesthesia, which means you are fully asleep for the whole operation. The surgeon takes a flap of skin, fat, and sometimes blood vessels and nerves from a donor area on your body. Common sites are the forearm, thigh, or back. This flap is shaped into the body of the penis, and when needed, a new urethra is built to carry urine.
This is nearly always a multi-stage process. A first operation may build the body of the penis and the urethra; later operations may lengthen the urethra, form the glans, connect nerves to restore sensation, or place a device to help with erections if that is right for you. The gaps between stages are usually counted in months, so the tissue can heal and settle.
During and after surgery, the team watches the blood supply to the flap very closely. This is what decides whether the tissue survives and heals well. You will be given clear guidance on caring for your wounds, the urinary catheter, and the warning signs to report straight away.
Reconstruction aims to rebuild structure and some function. It does not create a penis that matches a natural one in every way. Being honest about this helps you make the right decision for yourself.
Recovery happens in stages and asks for patience. The milestones below are general estimates; your own timing may differ and will be adjusted by your surgeon at each stage of surgery.
This is one of the most complex reconstructive operations there is, and understanding the risks is part of giving your consent. Your surgeons will go through each point below with you before you decide.
At The Gioi Dep, we approach total penile reconstruction as a long process to be planned stage by stage, not as a single operation. Before anything begins, the surgeons take time to assess your overall health, your donor area, and your specific goals, then map out a clear path for each step alongside you.
Because the outcome depends so heavily on the grafted tissue surviving and healing well, the team watches the blood supply to the flap closely during and after surgery, and guides you thoroughly on how to care for yourself at home and which signs mean you should make contact at once. We stay in touch with you through check-ups between the stages, so the plan can be adjusted to how your body actually heals.
You are under general anaesthesia, so you feel no pain during the operation. Afterward there will be soreness and tightness, which are managed with medication. The discomfort usually eases over the first few weeks.
Most cases need several stages of surgery, spaced months apart. The exact number depends on the technique and your goals, and your surgeon will talk it through with you during the consultation.
This varies with your job and with each stage of surgery. Many people need a few weeks off for each stage, and avoid heavy activity for longer than that. Your surgeon will advise on the timing that fits you.
There will be scars at the surgical area and at the donor area where the flap of skin is taken. Scars fade over time but do not disappear completely. Your surgeons will show you where the scars are expected to be before you decide.
For many people, this goal is reached once the new urethra has healed. That said, urethral complications such as a fistula or stricture can occur and may need further correction, so it cannot be promised for every case.
When nerves are connected, sensation may return slowly over a span of many months to more than a year. How much comes back differs from person to person and cannot be assured in advance.
Some people may have a device placed to help with erections at a later stage to support this, if it suits your situation. This is a separate step and will be discussed carefully once the tissue has healed.
Age is not the only deciding factor. What matters more is your general health and any conditions you have alongside it. An examination will help assess whether surgery is safe for you at this time.
Because this is a multi-stage process, some adjustments to shape or function can be planned for later steps. Your surgeons will speak honestly with you about what can and cannot be improved.
Your consultation and your whole course of treatment are kept confidential. You can ask anything that is on your mind without fear of being judged.
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The content on this page is for reference only and does not replace a direct examination and consultation with a specialist physician. Surgical outcomes vary from person to person.