Technique Promising Greater Penis Length Draws Foreign Trans Men to Brazil

A Brazilian gender-affirming surgery technique called TCM (Total Corpora Mobilization) is attracting foreign transgender men to Brazil. Developed by urologist Ubirajara Barroso in partnership with UFBA and the Bahiana School of Medicine and Public Health, the technique allows construction of a 6-to-8-centimeter phallus — twice the size of conventional surgeries.

The method gained international visibility after results were published in a scientific journal in 2022 and, especially, after gaining attention on Reddit. In recent months, Barroso has treated patients from Canada, Singapore, Australia, Italy, the United States, Israel and Ireland.

Among the cases reported by the article is Italian Giacomo Furfori, 27, who saved money for years and took out a bank loan to pay for the surgery — around €23,500 in total. Vietnamese patient Keane, 30, who lives in Singapore, paid about 80,000 Singapore dollars and ruled out other countries due to long waiting lists, bureaucratic barriers or high costs.

TCM differs from the conventional technique (metoidioplasty) because it requires cutting the suspensory ligament and separating the corpora cavernosa from the pelvis. The surgery lasts five to seven hours, with around four days of hospitalization. Recovery in Brazil takes three weeks to one month before returning to the country of origin.

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