While it might seem extreme, men across the country are booking appointments to get Botox and filler injected into their scrotums and penises to look bigger and improve their sex life.
But some people aren’t satisfied with what a doctor can safely offer them, and are pumping up their testicles to the size of grapefruits with saline or medical-grade surgical lubricant. The risky new trend is called “ballmaxxing,” a term which stems from the “looksmaxxing” subculture, where men go to drastic and unconventional lengths in the pursuit of a physical ideal.
But what exactly is this growing online trend, and why are some men injecting themselves to grow their balls to almost comical proportions?
What is ballmaxxing?
What is ballmaxxing?
Breezecucz01/Shutterstock
“Ballmaxxing” is a new internet trend where people try to make their scrotums look “bigger, fuller, lower, or more prominent” using injections, explains Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner Chris Bustamante, who is the owner and CEO of Lushful Aesthetics, where he uses Botox and filler to enhance patients' scrotums.
“Like a lot of ‘maxxing’ trends, it takes a real insecurity or aesthetic preference and turns it into an extreme online trend,” he says. "Clinically, the important distinction is that most men are not actually enlarging the testicles themselves. They are trying to increase the appearance of the scrotum: the skin and soft tissue surrounding the testicles. That difference matters because injecting anything into the actual testicle would be extremely dangerous.”
Most men are injecting their scrotums with saline — a sterile mixture of water and sodium chloride (salt) — or surgical lubricants like Surgilube, as well as even more dangerous options like silicone and oils, all in the attempt to inflate their scrotums to the size of grapefruits. For those who inject saline, the solution will eventually be reabsorbed by the body, so the effects are temporary.
The trend has become so popular that there is even a large community on Reddit dedicated to men posting photos of their ballmaxxing attempts that are so extreme their testicles start to look like a water balloon that is about to burst. The subReddit r/salineinflation has 13,000 weekly visitors who share photos, announce when they break a record for the amount of saline injected, and offer each other advice.
Why are people drawn to ballmaxxing?
Why are people drawn to ballmaxxing?
New Africa/Shutterstock
Ballmaxxing may seems like a bizarre trend at first glance, but clearly people are getting something out of the experience. For some, it’s about the transgressive novelty of it, for others it’s about sex, and some even see it as a neutral extension of body modification.
“A lot of it comes down to confidence, body image, sexual aesthetics, and the desire for a more masculine or prominent bulge,” Bustamante says. “Some men want the scrotum to look fuller in underwear or during sex. Men struggle with changes from aging, testosterone use, weight loss, or simply the anatomy they have always felt self-conscious about.”
Bustamente also thinks that some people are simply jumping on a viral trend. “There is also a trend component,” he explains. “Social media has made male enhancement more visible, and men are becoming more open about wanting options beyond the gym, grooming, or surgery. In my practice, the conversation is usually less about shock value and more about wanting the genital area to look balanced, proportional, and intentional.”
In a ballmaxxing guide posted in the subculture’s subReddit, a user named msmSaline explains why they are drawn to enlarging their scrotum.
“I love the idea of taking part in something unnatural, feeling like an animal, and kind of swimming in taboo," they write. "Mostly, I just love watching my junk grow bigger and bigger and then having a sexual partner there to play afterward.”
msmSaline isn’t alone in using these extreme techniques to enhance sexual experiences. Bustamante says that while ballmaxxing is often about “confidence, aesthetics, and how the area looks and feels physically,” a heavier scrotum and the movement that creates during sex can also be pleasurable for some people.
“Ultimately, psychological and confidence components influence sex,” he says. “Bigger balls may attract more attention from sexual partners, which in turn boosts one's confidence.”
What are the risks?
What are the risks?
Maddas/Shutterstock
Going to extreme measures in the pursuit of supposed physical perfection is nothing new. Plastic surgery, fillers, Botox injections, and weight-loss medications all come with their own risks, but taking matters into your own hands comes with added dangers.
“Most ballmaxxing happens at home with kits bought online, with no sterile field and no trained operator, making sepsis a potential and serious outcome,” says Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, in an interview with Healthline. “Others may purchase materials from underground sources, which may contain toxic materials that are not only harmful but also unsterile, increasing the risk of severe infection, sepsis, and the need for surgical intervention with potential permanent disfigurement.”
According to Bustamante, while the body will eventually reabsorb the saline people are injecting into their scrotums, there are still risks to your health, including “cellulitis, abscess, bruising, pain, vascular injury, tissue damage, scarring, asymmetry, and, in severe cases, necrotizing infection or gangrene.”
There have also been cases of subcutaneous emphysema, where air or gas is trapped under the skin, and Fournier’s gangrene, a flesh-eating disease of the genitals and perineum, he says.
“Permanent damage is possible if injections are done incorrectly or with the wrong substance,” Bustamante warns. “The scrotum is vascular, sensitive, and anatomically complex. This is not an area where anyone should experiment outside of a medical clinic.”
But beyond the health risks, you are unlikely to look “balanced, proportional, and intentional” with these DIY treatments, Bustamante says. This is where a clinic like his comes in.
Are there ways to achieve the same results safely?
Are there ways to achieve the same results safely?
PeopleImages/Shutterstock
If you have a scrotum and want it to look bigger, there are safe ways to do that — within reason. You won’t get the hugely inflated testicles that men on Reddit boast about, but you can get a larger, lower-hanging, or even smoother scrotum.
Bustamante offers penis filler, Botox injections in the scrotum (commonly called ScroTox, though Lushful Aesthetics’ trademark treatment is called HangTox), and ScroFill, where filler is injected into the scrotum to make it look bigger and hang lower.
“The safest approach is to work with a qualified, experienced medical provider who understands scrotal anatomy and uses appropriate products in the right tissue plane,” he recommends. “For someone who wants a fuller, larger, heavier-looking scrotum with longer-lasting results, ScroFill is the best option. It uses hyaluronic acid dermal filler to physically enhance the size and shape of the scrotum.”
