Male genital image: Measurement and implications for medical conditions and surgical practice

Male genital image has a significant impact on sexual functioning and quality of life. This concept will be defined, and attempts to operationalize and measure it will be critiqued. Selected medical conditions and surgical treatments that impact male genital image will be highlighted, and discussed. A PubMed review of genital image measurement was performed, along with a review of selected medical conditions and surgeries that affect the appearance and functioning of the male genitals including micro-penis, hypospadias, Peyronie's disease, and genital cancers. Male genital image does appear to be a measurable attribute, and is correlated with a number of sexual health outcomes. Present measurement methods, however, may only apply to healthy populations. Furthermore, medical conditions affecting the appearance and functioning of the genitals appear to have significant impact on genital image as well as on quality of life. Male genital image should be taken into account when considering medical interventions affecting the genitalia. Better measures of genital image need to be developed and validated; this will allow for better understanding of the psychosexual outcomes of genital image, as well as for examining how genital image can be improved.