Last Updated on 1 November, 2025 by Cara Sutra
Got a penis? Want a bigger one? Who doesn’t, right? In my recent features showcasing the Bathmate penis pumps collection and my main penis pumps guide, I mentioned a penis enlargement technique called jelqing. Can jelqing enlarge your penis? In today’s sexual health article, I discuss the jelqing technique, covering how to jelq, if jelqing can really give you a bigger cock – and any potential side effects.
What Is Jelqing?
Jelqing is a technique some people use to try and enlarge their penis. It involves pulling and stretching exercises for the penis, pushing blood to the tip of the cock and stretching the internal and external tissues in the hopes of achieving a larger penis size.
This practice has become more popular in recent years, thanks to sexual health blog posts and the spread of social media but is thought to have started with Sudanese groups in the Middle East. Jelqing may have been part of a tradition that prepared young men for marriage.
Why Do People Try Jelqing?
The allure of a bigger penis is strong for many people worldwide. According to a 2015 YouGov poll, 42% of British men aged 18-24 were unhappy with the size of their penis and wanted a larger one.
Even though most people who think they have a small penis are at least average-sized (approx. 5 inches/13cm when erect), small penis anxiety, or short penis syndrome, is clearly prevalent.
How Do You Jelq Your Penis?
The jelqing penis enlargement method has traditional and anecdotal roots rather than scientific. Therefore, there aren’t any 100% proven ways of doing it, just hearsay and the experiences shared by people on internet forums, blogs and other websites.
The most quoted jelqing method is as follows:
- Start with your penis almost (but not fully) erect.
- Apply a lubricant like unscented lotion or Vaseline to your penis.
- Wrap your index finger and thumb in a circle around the base of your penis until the two fingers touch. Tighten the circle just enough to put pressure on your penis.
- Then repeatedly slide your fingers from the base up to the head, pulling with pressure to stretch your penis.
- Jelq for 5 to 20 minutes at a time each day.
- Stop jelqing right away if you feel any pain or if your penis gets erect.
Can Jelqing Give You a Bigger Penis?
There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that jelqing leads to permanent penis enlargement. Additionally, the technique carries potential risks, as it may cause injury. The lack of research on jelqing makes it difficult to determine how long it might take to see results, if any. Advocates of jelqing suggest practicing it for 5 to 20 minutes daily.
Jelqing involves pushing blood toward the tip of the penis while stretching the internal tissue and external skin in an attempt to increase size. Proponents claim that this process creates tiny tears, known as microtears, in the penile tissue, similar to how weightlifting causes small tears in muscles. As the tissue repairs, they believe it could lead to increased size and changes in shape.
The issue with this theory is that the muscles in the penis are not the same as those in the biceps or quadriceps. Skeletal muscles, which are built through weightlifting, differ from the smooth muscles in the blood vessels of the penis. These smooth muscles relax and widen to allow blood flow, resulting in an erection.
One condition where jelqing’s benefits may be more evident is Peyronie’s disease, a condition where scar tissue forms under the skin of the penis, leading to painful, curved erections. Stretching exercises can help straighten the curve and add length. However, it’s difficult to determine if jelqing is effective for individuals without Peyronie’s, as there have been no high-quality clinical trials to evaluate its effectiveness for penis enlargement.
Potential Side Effects
Jelqing may be relatively safe if you use lubrication and limit the sessions to no more than 20 minutes. However, it carries risks such as pain, bruising, and skin irritation from the friction. In rare cases, frequent jelqing could potentially lead to Peyronie’s disease or erectile dysfunction.
The pulling and stretching involved can cause damage to the skin of the penis. Possible side effects of jelqing include:
– Pain and soreness
– Bruising on the penis
– Skin irritation
Over time, jelqing may lead to the formation of scar tissue or hard deposits, known as plaques, within the penis. This scarring could contribute to Peyronie’s disease. Additionally, some individuals who practice jelqing may develop erectile dysfunction, making it difficult to achieve an erection.
Other Ways to get a Bigger Penis
Jelqing is just one of several techniques marketed for increasing penis size. Other methods include creams, pills, injections, vacuum pumps, and penis extenders. According to the American Urological Association (AUA), almost none of these approaches are effective. Here’s a breakdown of the research on various penis enlargement products:
– Penile extenders (penile traction devices): These devices apply tension to the penis to gradually stretch it. To see any noticeable results, they must be used for at least 4 to 6 hours a day over several months. Even then, they typically increase the length of a flaccid penis by less than 2 centimetres.
– Pills and lotions: These products claim to use herbs, hormones, or vitamins to enlarge the penis. However, none are proven to work, and some may cause unwanted side effects.
– Injections: Substances like hyaluronic acid and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) are sometimes injected to increase penis girth. While studies show some success in enlarging girth, there is no increase in length, and these injections come with numerous side effects.
– Penis pumps (vacuum pumps): Often used to treat erectile dysfunction, vacuum pumps work by drawing blood into the penis to cause swelling. However, they don’t appear to increase penis length.
– Surgery: The most common surgical procedure cuts the ligament that attaches the penis to the pubic bone, giving the appearance of a larger penis by allowing more of it to hang down. However, it doesn’t actually increase length. Other surgeries involve injecting fat, placing implants, or grafting skin and fat from another body part onto the penis to make it look bigger. While surgery can increase size in some men, it carries risks such as infection, scarring, and loss of sensation.
The AUA suggests that penis stretching techniques should only be considered in cases of ‘micropenis’, defined as a stretched length of less than 3 inches.
In Conclusion
If you’re thinking about trying jelqing to make your penis bigger, keep in mind that most doctors and health experts don’t recommend it. There’s no solid proof that it works, and it could lead to issues like pain, irritation, or bruising. In some rare cases, it might even cause your penis to curve or lead to erectile dysfunction.
Before giving jelqing or any other online technique a try, it’s a good idea to talk to a doctor or a sex therapist. It’s totally normal to feel self-conscious about your size, but chatting with a therapist might help you feel more confident without needing to risk any of these methods.
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