TOPIC: Infections, Complications, Risks of PMMA?

Did anyone speak with Dr. C or Wade about this? I didn\'t want to send an email if they\'ve already answered questions.

imbignow wrote: Did anyone speak with Dr. C or Wade about this? I didn\'t want to send an email if they\'ve already answered questions.

I was planning on calling their office shortly to discuss, will relay what I learn.

According to Wade, they haven\'t experienced this problem (specifically FBG) with penile bioplasty, and that takes into consideration patients who have had this done years ago well before the advent of PB.
That is not to say that granuloma risks aren\'t existent via Dr. C\'s technique. As one Artefill study suggests, out of hundreds of patients, there will be a handful of unlucky ones, a risk that we\'ll have to concede as being quite possible for any one of us. That being said, I personally believe there is merit in the argument that physician skill/technique, PMMA product, instruments/cannulas, and layer/location have a lot to do with the reduction of long-term risks. This was echoed by Wade.
If anyone scheduled this procedure with the belief that it was 100% full-proof, they clearly didn\'t do their homework. But as M7 pointed out, relatively speaking, it could very well be the best permanent Girth solution available. You just have to analyze your candidacy for such a procedure should you entertain the idea.

SO- With all due respect to Wade, Dr. C, and yourself- has any Phalloplasty doctor ever admitted to complications? They appear to be at the \'bottom of the barrel\' in terms of plastic surgery...or any surgery for that matter. Most people don\'t \'report\' bad results, and no surgeon on earth will volunteer that info. That would be far to benevolent for a surgeon- they\'d be kicked out of medical school! I am of the belief that all surgery (this PMMA thing isn\'t even really surgery by the way...) is a gamble to some degree. I\'ve had routine shoulder surgery that is still causing issues years later. Still better than before though. Many members are moving forward with future procedures regardless of reports of complications. The rewards must outweigh the risks for most.

Rondo wrote: SO- With all due respect to Wade, Dr. C, and yourself- has any Phalloplasty doctor ever admitted to complications? They appear to be at the \'bottom of the barrel\' in terms of plastic surgery...or any surgery for that matter. Most people don\'t \'report\' bad results, and no surgeon on earth will volunteer that info. That would be far to benevolent for a surgeon- they\'d be kicked out of medical school! I am of the belief that all surgery (this PMMA thing isn\'t even really surgery by the way...) is a gamble to some degree. I\'ve had routine shoulder surgery that is still causing issues years later. Still better than before though. Many members are moving forward with future procedures regardless of reports of complications. The rewards must outweigh the risks for most.

All I can do is relay what I\'ve learned from them. How accurate is this information? Well obviously that\'s for each individual to assess and decide. We can compare it to past studies on the subject as well as reports brought to us by our members.
For me, all I can do is take their office at their word. With that being said, I\'m also aware that the risks do exist and Dr. C\'s office could inevitably deal with a patient who is experiencing Fran\'s problems. Not only that, but one of the very purposes of this forum is to monitor the progress reports of patients who have undergone bioplasty with Dr. C to assess both its short & long term risks. We have easily over 50 reporting members, although some report more often than others. This isn\'t something that Dr. C\'s office will have to admit to or reveal because the data will be available to us publicly. This is also why I implore patients with not-so-satisfactory outcomes to come forward so that we can gain a better insight on this intensely-trending method.
I agree, all elective surgery is a gamble. I\'m personally satisfied thus far with my situation because, quite frankly, my size was prohibitive of sex before PMMA - so I had a not much to lose conclusion. For men blessed & endowed, please keep in mind that Phalloplasty has not grown out of its experimental phase, but hopefully we will see it change in eventuality.

SO- I apologize if my frustration came across as disrespectful. I greatly appreciate this site and the contributions of moderators and members alike. I sometimes wish this pursuit of ours was more holistic and fraught with less deception. Thanks again for all of your efforts.

Fran -
I think someone mentioned this earlier, but did you see any side effects before you noticed what happened?
I was looking around for the past few days on this issue and found something Dr.\'s in the US say about a woman looking to get PMMA done in Mexico for her butt.
www.realself.com/question/buttocks-augme...ma-injections-mexico

link from above:
Buttocks Augmentation with PMMA Injections in Mexico Safe? I am considering getting PMMA (Polymethylmethacrylate) injections in the buttocks from this doctor, the material used is suposed to be medical grade PMMA from Brazil, which is considered safe. The doctor seems to have a very good reputation. I have done some investigation and have heard only good things from this doctor. Can anyone verify this? Would this doctor be trustworthy? Is this PMMA safe? Asked 24 months ago by beaubo in Los Angeles, CA Tags: buttocks Sort 6 expert answers by: +1 PMMA injections are not safe. There is not any PMMA injections that are safe. They are not FDA approved anyplace in the US. If you have the injections and have complications (which you probably will) you will have a hard time finding help. PMMA injections are very dangerous. Otto Joseph Placik, MD Chicago Plastic Surgeon ASAPS ASPS +1 Butt injections safety and success There is a LOT of information on the internet which is simply not true and misleading about buttock augmentation. If you look you can find glowing reviews of almost every technique as well as people cursing the day they had the procedure done. When it comes to PMMA injections you will see a trend in the information. The people who are claiming how good PMMA injections are and how safe it is to do are not actually medically trained let alone doctors. Whereas the negative information is generally from two sources, doctors and people who have had the treatments and have problems. There are some posts from patients that have had the injections and are happy though frequently these posts are found to be actually advertising for centers or doctors performing these procedures. In the USA PMMA is not FDA approved for injection into the buttocks. In fact, I am not aware of liquid PMMA being FDA approved for ANY purpose. If treatments were so safe and results were so good, don\'t you think a company would have submitted their product to the FDA for approval by now. The technique has been around for many years. The plain truth is that the treatment has a very high rate of complications. These complications can be quite deforming of the body and, in some cases, life threatening. You mention \"medical grade\" PMMA. While this may be some comment on the purity or the cleanliness of the product, without FDA supervision you cannot be sure that the material is sterile and suitable for injection. A large portion of the complications seen are related to infections. No matter how \"trustworthy\" you might feel a doctor is, the material he/she is using is most certainly NOT. In Miami I see a lot of patients interested in buttock augmentation. I perform a good amount of butt augmentation as well. The technique that I use is fat transfer. It is safe, reliable, and provides a natural result using your own tissue. In cases where there is not enough fat for transfer (rare, though it does occur) implants can be used. Fat transfer is, in my opinion, far superior for natural look and feel. I hope this info helps! Doctor\'s Website Adam Rubinstein, MD Miami Plastic Surgeon ASAPS ASPS Share Tweet Share via Email +1 Buttock Augmentation The injection of any thing other than FAT into the buttock for Buttock enhancement is not approved by the FDA and can cause serious complication: paraffin silicon pmma hydrogel If this dr. in Mexico is any good, he should know that. Buttock augmentation can be done with: Fat transfer buttock implants Dermis fat graft Be careful, see a Board Certified PS in the US. Samir Shureih, MD Baltimore Plastic Surgeon ASAPS ASPS +1 Safety of Buttock Augmentation with PMMA PMMA is used to cement orthopedic joints in place. It comes as a powder which when mixed with a liquids forms a paste which rapidly hardens as it gives off a lot of heat. Personally, I come from the rather simplistic school that believes that if God wanted you to have rock - hard buttock, he would have put the rocks in there. it makes NO sense to me to take the party of the body most valued for its roundness and rubbery softness and fill it with a rock, hard material which cannot be taken out completely. PMMA is NOT safe for soft tissue augmentation and i would suggest you not have this procedure. Dr. P. Aldea Peter A. Aldea, MD Memphis Plastic Surgeon ASPS Share Tweet Share via Email +1 Is buttock augmentation via injection of PMMA safe? Hi there- Injection of liquid chemical compounds into the buttocks for augmentation is not FDA approved in the United States. Many different compounds have been used, with mixed results... It is not a procedure I would ever allow anyone I know to have done, as these procedures have been associated with severe and frequent complications in the past, including organ failure and death. Furthermore, once back in the US, how easy do you think it will be to find a plastic surgeon to take care of you when you have a complication from this treatment performed abroad? Please be careful. There\'s a reason these procedures are not being done by reputable plastic surgeons in Los Angeles, or anywhere else in the US for that matter. Web reference: www.DrArmandoSoto.com Doctor\'s Website Armando Soto, MD Orlando Plastic Surgeon ASAPS ASPS Share Tweet Share via Email

PMMA buttock injections not FDA approved in the USA This is not approved by the FDA for use here. When you have a problem, who will take care of you? Are you prepared to go back to Mexico? In my own personal opinion, I would NEVER recommend this procedure on a patient. I have only seen problems with foreign bodies placed in the buttocks -- that includes silicone injections and implants, and this is no different. William B. Rosenblatt, MD New York Plastic Surgeon ASAPS ASPS

Hi fran berlin,
Thank you very much for posting the pic. of your penis post-surgery and I am sure it will help everyone here in the forum and I know that was the main reason why you have registered her in this forum, I really respect your bravery.
It is very important to know the risk of PMMA and the most important the experience of the treating doctors (both the one who injects the PMMA and the one who treats any complications afterwards) , from the pic. we can see beside the 3 scars, that you have still PMMA penile Girth of the whole shaft, am I correct ??
You have mentioned that you are relieved and you are ok after the last surgery (i.e. after your surgeon had removed the rejection parts of PMMA) does that mean that you had normal sex after the Removal of these granulomas??
It will be great if you can post the pictures before the excisions of these granulomas, it doesn\'t mean that I don\'t believe you, noway I do believe that you had some issues with PMMA but believe me these pictures will help all of us here in the forum more than only the post-surgery pic., the reason for that :-
E.g. Any complication (minor or major) from any procedure in general you will have different opinions in the managements from different doctors some will be aggressive in the management and some will be more conservative it will always depend on the experience of the doctor and esp. if he has seen these complications and treated them before .

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.

Yeah that was out of line, especially coming from a moderator. Posts like that makes people like me sceptical of this site in general - how is that post beneficial for anything other than covering up unsuccessful surgeries? This is not the first time I\'ve asked myself if this site is run by Dr C\'s staff.

OK, so I exaggerated, but in todays greedy society, we cannot trust anyone.
Well at least you apologized to the victim, but I felt like I had to flame some anyway.

What I meant by that in your case (of course we need to see the pic. before the surgery) there will be different opinions in treating your case :-
1- One will try to deglove your penis to remove the whole PMMA in your penis and not only the granulomas esp. after his pathologist tell him there are some tissues which can be pre-cancerous?? if he tried to do that you will have a high risk of shaft\'s skin Necrosis and you will need definitely skin flap reconstruction.
2- Others will try to remove the granulomas or the lumps surgically with a localized skin incisions over them like what had happened to you.
3- Others will try 1st conservative treatment ( multiple Kenalog injections with 4 wks intervals if failed some will try laser like the Italian doctor from Milan ) before heading for the surgery.

I am not saying there is no complication from PMMA definitely there are risks from any procedure but we have to know it is also important :-
1- The experience of the doctor who is doing the procedure ( e.g. PMMA).2- More important the experience of the doctor (i.e. in regard of PMMA) who is going to treat these complications i.e. Has he seen these complications and treated them before or not ?

TenInchGoal wrote:

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.

Yeah that was out of line, especially coming from a moderator. Posts like that makes people like me sceptical of this site in general - how is that post beneficial for anything other than covering up unsuccessful surgeries? This is not the first time I\'ve asked myself if this site is run by Dr C\'s staff.

OK, so I exaggerated, but in todays greedy society, we cannot trust anyone.
Well at least you apologized to the victim, but I felt like I had to flame some anyway.

There is always a benefit for uncovering fraudulent claims. To be fair you are totally unaware of the circumstances that made me make that post. There were numerous reasons for my extreme skepticism. On this occasion I got it wrong adn apologised, but I assure that there were a run of uncannily coincidental events that took place before I expressed my doubt of Frans credibility. I wouldn\'t make accusations based on little more than a whim and to be honest I was genuniley stunned when he produced a photo, so strong was my conviction.

TenInchGoal wrote:

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.

Yeah that was out of line, especially coming from a moderator. Posts like that makes people like me sceptical of this site in general - how is that post beneficial for anything other than covering up unsuccessful surgeries? This is not the first time I\'ve asked myself if this site is run by Dr C\'s staff.

OK, so I exaggerated, but in todays greedy society, we cannot trust anyone.
Well at least you apologized to the victim, but I felt like I had to flame some anyway.

If any of you were there during the MyNewSize and Old PhalloBoard days, you would truly appreciate the lengths this forum has gone to in order to achieve impartiality & non-commercialism.
Hoddle\'s speculation, although very inappropriate, was not baseless in origin. You must forgive the forum\'s natural inclination to magnify posts & persons that are out of the ordinary (and in this case, a first-ever major complication report). If you are not familiar with MNS/Old PB, you will never appreciate what the Moderators have had to deal with. That being said, as the forum\'s Administrator I apologize on behalf of our site & staff for this unfortunate remark in what has otherwise been an embracing message board.
Fran_Berlin\'s contributions are appreciated, extremely vital, and protected. We\'re very thankful for his decision to share with us in what is quite clearly a troubling stage of his life. It isn\'t a coincidence that this forum has a section called the Patient Support Group. And most importantly, this site\'s stake is in the free-flow of authentic information, irrespective of its implications.
Again, my apologies. This site thrives on the contribution of its members, which is why I more often say \"our forum\" instead of \"my forum.\" Any questions or concerns regarding this site\'s content, direction, and/or staff can be PMed or emailed to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

-S.O.

Here is an article I found while doing research. The interesting part to me was toward the end when it mentions its not a good idea to mix concentrations of PMMA.That exact issue has been a nagging thought of mine from the beginning. I keep this thought because of Dr. C\'s mixing to achieve the 20%. It is in Portugese so you have to use the translator.

papodehomem.com.br/engrossei-meu-pnis-com-injeo-de-pmma/

@ndbig1: I wonder whether some doctors employ different techniques but the diagram on the website shows PMMA along the bottom spongy chamber of the penis in addition to the usual top two cavernous chambers. Correct me if I\'m mistaken but I don\'t think it is standard practice to inject along the bottom (though I\'m not sure why, perhaps because the urethra is there and it remains relatively soft even when Erect?).
As regards mixing different concentrations increasing the risk of granulomas, I wonder whether he meant having different concentrations injected during separate treatment sessions (e.g. 10% during session 1 and 20% during session 2), different concentrations during the same session (e.g. 30% at base and 2% near glans), or mixing two different concentrations before injecting or injecting different concentrations into the same area during one session?
Any Portuguese speakers able to help out? Lost in translation here!