Published: 00:00 BST, 25 August 2026 | Updated: 00:00 BST, 25 August 2026
On an operating table in New Jersey, the patient keeps his eyes firmly fixed on the ceiling.
Wearing a dressing gown, his fingers are interlaced across his chest and, from where I'm standing, he looks relaxed yet focused – as though he is about to divulge his troubles to a psychologist.
But Tom, 35, who has asked to remain anonymous, is not here to talk about his emotional woes. He is having his penis enlarged.
Urologist Dr Stuart Diamond steps forward and gently parts Tom's dressing gown, exposing the area he's about to work on. He leans in and plunges a half-inch needle into the side of his member, delivering a tiny dose of fat aimed at boosting its size.
He does it again. And again. And again. It feels as though this goes on for a wince-inducing amount of time – in total, I count at least a dozen injections. Despite my own discomfort watching, Tom, I notice, doesn't flinch. I ask him if he's okay.
'I can't feel a thing,' he answers, not breaking eye contact with the ceiling.
After 10 to 15 minutes, the injections are over and the surgeon begins delicately massaging and manipulating Tom's manhood to ensure the fat is evenly distributed.
Then, about 45 minutes after the procedure began, it's over. Tom's member is dabbed clean of the tiny spots of blood oozing from the puncture sites, and he stands up, finally daring to look down.
Dr Stuart Diamond and his wife Noelle are pictured above. Dr DIamond is administering the aloeClae injections to Tom's penis
The above picture shows the alloClae fat injections being prepared
Dr Diamond is shown above holding the filler injection. He is in a side room away from the main room where the injections into the penis are carried out
Tom is one of a reportedly increasing number of men in the US opting for cosmetic procedures to increase the size of their penis.
Such treatments have been around for decades. One of the most common techniques involves using dermal filler – a gel, usually made from hyaluronic acid, the same substance widely used to plump lips and smooth wrinkles.
Injected beneath the skin of the penis, the gel adds volume, increasing its girth rather than making it significantly longer.