Many people have been hospitalised after trying various home methods of augmenting their genitals.

 Home silicone injections

The Vietnam-Germany Hospital in Hanoi once received a 60-year-old patient who had a ring stuck around his penis. A doctor said, "It affected him psychologically, he was a bit scared. But luckily he came for treatment in time, before it could cause any real damage."

In another case, a man implanted four balls under the skin of his penis. However, the balls had some sharp edges and started to pierce the skin. At first, the man refused to have them removed, but was forced to several days later after infection set in.

Many women hire unlicensed practitioners get silicone injections to various parts of their bodies, despite the dangers. One woman decided to go with an unlicensed practitioner for injections to her breasts, cheeks, temples and various other places. She soon showed symptoms of a blood infection and septic shock. Doctors say that they were unable to save her due to a pulmonary embolism.

Some men, too, choose silicone injections. Recently, 40 men in Ca Mau Province decided to use silicone to enlarge their penises. The silicone was said to be made in Thailand and each person paid only VND300,000 (USD14). A few days later, the men were hospitalised because their genitals showed signs of inflammation and even necrosis.

Dr. Le Thi Kim Dung from Lao Dong Health Centre said, "Many people think that these things are harmless. But you must think that even wearing a ring that is too tight on your finger can prevent blood flow and lead to necrosis. Now just think of what that could do to a more sensitive part. Anything that is inserted under the skin should absolutely have been tested for quality."

Dung went on to say that silicone which is directly injected, will spread to other tissues and trigger an automatic immune defense. White blood cells will seek out the foreign substance and cause inflammation. This can lead to infection and other complications.