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What Is ‘Scrotox,' The Procedure Zack Wickham Got On ‘The Valley'
Zack Wickham (L), seen here with Melissa Marie Carelli and Benji Quach, got injections of "Scrotox" ... More on a recent episode of "The Valley" on Bravo. (Photo by: Griffin Nagel/Bravo via Getty Images)
You could say it takes balls to do this on television. The June 10 episode of the Bravo reality TV series The Valley featured one of its regulars, Zack Wickham, going to a clinic to get a "Scrotox" injection. Now, 'Scrotox' is not short for a scrotum saying something toxic like 'Sorry if you were offended.' Instead, it's a portmanteau of the words 'scrotum' and 'Botox' that's being used to describe a procedure where you get botulinum toxin injections into your scrotum.
Why Men May Get Scrotox
Your first question may be why as in why would you do that? After all, getting a needle inserted into your scrotum probably isn't the first thing that you would do for fun. Well, Scrotox began as a way to treat chronic scrotal pain, otherwise known as chronic orchialgia. Botulinum toxin injections can block the release of neuropeptides that lead to neurogenic inflammation and pain.
But chronic scrotal pain doesn't appear to be the reason why Wickham needed such a needle into his scrotum. Rather, here's the rationale provided by Wickham: 'Apparently, it feels really good during sex and just looks aesthetically better. You know how balls go up and down? I just was like, 'You know what? Let's see what happens when they stay down.'
In addition to the down with the balls thing, there are claims that such injections can make your scrotum look smoother, bigger and more filled out as well as hang more loosely and lower. And for those with particularly sweaty balls, Scrotox supposedly can reduce the sweat produced by your scrotal sac.
This certainly isn't the only genitalia enhancement procedure that has become more popular among men in recent years. In February for example, I wrote in Forbes about the penis and scrotal filler trend. This is where men with moolah like finance bros have been getting substances injected into their penises, scrotums or both to enhance their sizes and appearances.
What's Involved With Getting Scrotox
Getting Scrotox entails first getting your scrotum numbed by anesthetic ointment or cream. Because that's what generally needed before a needle goes into your scrotum. The doctor—and it should be an appropriately licensed and certified doctor like a dermatologist, plastic surgeon or urologist and not some random person with a needle—then will insert a needle attached to a syringe into your scrotum and slowly inject Botox through the needle. The doctor may deliver repeated injections to cover more of your scrotum. Naturally, the health professional should check for bleeding or any complications before the procedure is finished. The whole thing, which can be performed on an outpatient basis, typically takes two to four minutes.
Following the procedure, you can probably safely return to work, unless your work involves jackhammering, repeated blows to the balls or anything that will cause any stress to your scrotum. Note, if your work regularly involves repeated blows to the balls, you may want to look for another job. It's also a good idea to refrain from lifting heavy objects and having sex for at least several hours after the procedure. Don't be disappointed if you don't have super smooth balls or if your balls haven't settled down just yet. It can take a few days to a week to see the changes in your scrotum.
How Effective Is Scrotox
The belief is that all of this may help make sex more possible and pleasurable. After all, who hasn't been in a situation where a potential partner has said, 'Although you've got a great personality, great character and great everything, your scrotum is just way too wrinkly for us to date?' And who doesn't follow the bouncing balls during sex? Regardless, it's not clear what role scrotal appearance and the scrotum in general play in the pleasure during sex. Entering terms like 'scrotum' and 'fun' and 'pleasure' into PubMed reveals a lack of peer-reviewed studies evaluating such questions.
There's also a dearth of peer-reviewed scientific studies evaluating the aesthetic effectiveness of Scrotox and the duration of effects. In other words, it's not clear how smooth a given scrotum will get or how low balls will go for a given person. Anecdotal reports suggest that the aesthetic effects tend to last around three to four months. So if you want to maintain some type of appearance change down there, you may have to stay on the ball, so to speak, with repeat injections periodically over time.
What Are The Potential Side Effects Of Scrotox
Most of the potential side effects of this procedure are related to the fact that you are getting a needle stuck into your scrotum. You could suffer some pain, numbness swelling, tightness or bruising around the area. A study published in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology did find that find that injections of botulinum toxin into the nether regions of male rats led to changes in testicular physiology and lower sperm counts. But you presumably are not a rat, physically at least, and what happens in rats doesn't necessarily happen in humans. It would be helpful to have more human studies to evaluate the potential effects of Scrotox on human sperm counts.
Getting Botox injected in the other important part of your body, namely your face, can have rarer side effects like headaches, fatigue, chills, fever or difficulty seeing, speaking, swallowing or breathing. elsewhere into the body. And you've probably seen how getting repeated injections of Botox into the face over time could alter its appearance. It's not clear which of these potential side effects could apply to Botox injections to the scrotum. That's because once again the dearth of peer-reviewed published scientific studies of the procedure, especially longer term ones.
Therefore, consider all of this before you hit the sack, so to speak. And think about how important the appearance of your scrotum may be to you and the people around you. Will getting Scrotox really make a difference in how you are perceived and feel? Is it worth risking the unknowns about Scrotox? Weighing the relative pros and cons can help you decide whether you want to go through with it or if it just seems too nuts for you.
