False posts promote unregistered 'special oil' for penile augmentation

This article is more than one year old.
Published on December 30, 2022 at 03:57
2 min read
By AFP Philippines

False posts have advertised a "special oil" supposedly approved by Philippine regulators that can increase a person's penis size. But the Philippine Food and Drug Administration has warned against purchasing the product, saying it is potentially dangerous. A urologist told AFP that the product is a topical stimulant that could cause allergic reactions.

The image touting "Machete Gold Oil" was shared on Facebook on October 11, 2022.

Its Tagalog caption translates in part: "Of all the products I've used, I found that MACHETE GOLD quickly made my penis bigger."

Text overlaid on the image claims the product is "FDA Approved" and can make a person's penis larger, thicker and harder.

Screenshot of the misleading Facebook post, taken on December 29, 2022.

The same image of the unregistered product was shared alongside a similar claim here, here, here, here and here.

Comments on the posts suggested some Facebook users believed the claim and expressed interest in purchasing the oil.

"How much is it?" a number of users asked.

However, in an advisory issued on December 12, the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the product had "not gone through the registration process of the Agency" and so it could not guarantee its "quality, safety and efficacy".

"Therefore, consumption of such violative products may pose potential danger or injury to health," the advisory reads.

'Just a stimulant'

Alexandre Omar Arabia, a Quezon City-based urologist for the World Citi Medical Center, said topical medications marketed to increase the size of the male genitalia are simply stimulants that can irritate the skin.

"They can stimulate the male genitalia to its erectness but they are just temporary," he told AFP on December 29. "They may even induce an allergic reaction in men who use them and their partners."

The US-based Urological Care Foundation has said that although there are numerous adverts for purported methods to increase penis size, they "almost never work".

On the foundation's website, it states: "If medically necessary, there are a few things doctors may suggest. But, be aware of side effects. For example, erectile dysfunction (ED) is a problem that can occur after surgery... If you want to consider penile augmentation, please talk with your urologist/andrologist."

AFP previously debunked a claim that drinking a mixture of bitter kola and lemon juice will "enlarge the male genitalia".

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