Penisgate' at the Olympics: why inject acid into your penis, and what are the health risks?

"In the quest for Olympic gold, professional athletes endure hardships that might seem unfathomable to most of us mere mortals. But do those lengths extend to ski jumpers injecting their penises with hyaluronic acid in order to fly further? That is the question the World Anti-Doping Agency will investigate since such startling allegations emerged first in the German newspaper Bild in what has now been dubbed Penisgate."

"Hyaluronic acid is a common filler used in cosmetic surgery, including injections being used for penile girth enlargement surgery, Prof Eric Chung, a urological surgeon, says. Injecting a penis with hyaluronic acid would make it bigger girth-wise, but you would need to inject a lot of hyaluronic acid, says Chung, who was previously the leader of the andrology specialty advisory group for the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand."

"Before the start of the season, ski jumpers have to have their suits made up based on the measurements of their body length, including crotch height determined by an FIS-approved 3D body scanner in the presence of a doctor, stripped down to their underwear and with particular stipulations around posture. The dimensions of that suit is strictly regulated because the total size of the suit can have a significant effect on the amount of lift that you can generate,"

World Anti-Doping Agency will investigate allegations that ski jumpers injected hyaluronic acid into their penises to alter body measurements used for suit fitting. The German newspaper Bild reported such claims, later dubbed Penisgate. Hyaluronic acid is a common cosmetic filler and is used for penile girth enlargement. Urological surgeon Prof Eric Chung says injections increase girth but require large volumes and are temporary, needing top-ups every six to 12 months due to absorption and particle migration. Before the season, ski jumpers are measured with an FIS-approved 3D body scanner in underwear and with strict posture rules in a doctor’s presence. Suit dimensions are tightly regulated because larger suits can increase lift and extend jump distance.

Read at www.theguardian.com