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The men’s wellness industry is everywhere. Between bio-hacking podcasts and clinics promising to “optimize” your hormones, it’s a booming business. However, there is a glaring oversight in this movement: it rarely speaks to disabled men, let alone addresses their specific needs. For disabled individuals already dealing with complicated relationships with their bodies, the pressure to meet society’s narrow definition of masculinity can feel overwhelming.
The Business of “Fixing” Men
Historically, health conditions have been a topic that most men avoided. This has changed with the wellness industry that has created space for men to talk about body image, confidence or health concerns that previous generations wanted to avoid. This openness signals positive progress and a growing business sector that treats all men as equal including disabled customers with specific needs.
The wellness industry realized that disabled bodies are not only differently-abled bodies with certain limitations but rather that these individuals have different psychological characteristics. Disabled men have unique nerve pathways, specialized blood and oxygen circulation patterns and a unique medical history. The most successful wellness companies are those that embrace these factors.
Empowerment does not come from products that try to “fix” a body to make it look typical. Empowerment comes from accessibility, acceptance and businesses that embrace disabled persons without making the adjustment feel forced. When companies sell “masculine enhancement” and ignore these realities, they are not offering empowerment.
Safety, Risks and Reality
When you are considering any medical procedure, having accurate information is essential. With penile enlargement surgery, the medical community is pretty clear about what these procedures can and cannot do. The procedure is cosmetic and an elective process where patients must learn more about penile enlargement before making a decision. The process gets much more complicated when a disabled patient elects to complete the procedure. They need to discuss the following factors with their doctor:
- Your specific disability and how it might affect the success and risk of surgery; for example, spinal cord injuries can complicate anesthesia.
- How your medications will interact with surgical drugs.
- How your body heals from the trauma caused during surgery as circulation or immune factors might differ from patient to patient.
- If the surgery would benefit your day to day life.
- Your follow-up care options to help you heal faster after being released from hospital.
The good news is that more and more doctors now specialize in working with disabled patients. Your doctor needs to understand your entire health picture and not just focus on specific concerns. This will make a big difference in getting care that actually serves you.
Life Hacks for Body Positivity
For disabled persons looking to build sexual confidence and wellness following a surgical procedure the following tips might help:
- Intimacy aids created by disabled people for disabled people.
- Pelvic floor therapy that is specifically tailored for your specific condition.
- Supportive community groups where people can discuss and get advice from someone in similar circumstances as yourself.
The disabled community has created amazing resources around sexual wellness that is based on real understanding. It is important to remember that your wellness decisions are yours to make. You deserve accurate and up to date information that respects your conditions.
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