What happens to our penis as we age?

As you enter old age, you can expect some changes to your body; you probably already know that your nose and ears will seemingly continue to get larger while your body seems to get smaller. But, what you may not be expecting is that yourpeniscan actually see some changes too.

Penises can shrink with age

That’s right, as you get older, you can probably expect your erections to get softer and smaller. Dr Jamin Brahmbhatt, a Florida-based urologist, explained to Fatherly:

The penis can lose about a centimetre of length from your rock-solid thirties to when you’re in your about-to-retire sixties. The difference, honestly, is minute, and many men may not even notice the difference.

The process behind an ageing, shrinking penis is pretty similar to what happens to the rest of your body.

Essentially, the penis comprises three primary tubes, one for urine and two are large blood vessels designed to handle blood flow and erections. But, as you get older, the collagen and elasticity in the body are depleted, resulting in the ageing of the vascular tubes. This ageing often results in changes to the blood flow, making erections smaller.

And, while men don’t exactly have the same biological clock as women, they do produce fewer sperm and testosterone as they age, which can also make the genitals appear as if they have shrunk.

Not only does loss of collagen and testosterone contribute to an ageing penis, but fatty deposits can build up in your arteries over time, causing blood-flow issues to our members.

Things might get a bit saggy

Another thing to expect as you get older is what Dr Brian Steixner, Director of the Institute of Men’s Health for the Jersey Urology Group, calls ‘splashdown syndrome.’

Splashdown syndrome is exactly what it sounds like. Basically, a loss in muscle mass as you age can cause your scrotum to get a bit slack.

Some men choose to opt for surgery to reverse the effects; however, keeping a healthy lifestyle and staying away from cigarettes can help keep your balls in their prime.

Your penis may curve

Penis come in all shapes, sizes and curvatures. However, what once may have been a straight arrow, may start to veer left or right as you get older. This is because repeated traumas from sex, sports and even masturbation can cause scar tissue to accumulate along the length of your Johnson.

These days, botulinum injections exist that can release this scar tissue. Yep, you can really get botox for your penis.

It might become harder to pitch your tent

It’s no secret thatyou might end up with erectile dysfunction issues in your autumn years. The reasoning behind this phenomenon is simple: blood loss and lifestyle. EDs can also result from numerous other conditions that men also tend to suffer, such as hypertension, heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes and low testosterone.

Luckily, erectile dysfunction can be avoided with a healthy lifestyle. And, if that fails, there’s always viagra.

Your risk for penile cancer increases

The last and probably most horrifying thing that can happen to the penis as we age is cancer. While most men may be more than familiar with the risks of prostate and testicular cancer, the penis can develop cancerous cells as well.

Risks of penile cancer can be further increased by conditions such as HPV and AIDS and lifestyle choices like smoking, self-tanning, and not washing away smegma properly.

Not only can chemo take their toll on the body, in rare cases, the penis even has to be removed entirely. Dr Steixner told Men’s Health:

In extreme cases, a complete removal of the penis is required.

You heard correctly; if there’s ever a reason to stay clean under the hood, it’s this.