Last updated on September 10, 2020
Question:
Hey Jeff!
I have some questions regarding my growth. I’m 16, and I’m concerned with my growth because I haven’t seen too much of an increase.
Let’s start with facial hair. I only get hair above the lip, around the sides of the lip, and on the chin. Here and there I get those awkward strands on the cheek or jaw bone.
Height. I’m about 5’9 and only 128 pounds. I eat a healthy diet too. I don’t overload on junk and stuff. Sometimes I’ll eat a ton during a meal and then go to bed two hours later starving. My mom is 5’5, my dad is 6’1, and my grandfather is 6’4. Do you think my height will increase? Do you think I’ll hit 6 feet?
I have an athletic build but my torso is not at all near an adult’s size. My nipples are always flat, unless I get cold, wet, or get goosebumps.
My penis. My penis size when soft always is different. When I’m relaxing sometimes it will look tiny and the shaft kind of shrivels inward. Other times, when I get out of the shower normally, it hangs and is straight (5 inches when I measured then). When I’m hard, I’m 6 inches. My girth is only 4 when hard. And my corpus spongiosum on the bottom doesn’t really bulge out. Now being 16 is this my final penis size? It doesn’t look at all like an adult’s. When I’m older is my penis always going to get small when flaccid? Or will it stay at a constant size if I get a little bit thicker? Also, the head isn’t that big.
I do have a lot of pubic hair covering the groin, inner thigh, balls, and on the shaft a little. And my testicles aren’t that big either get. Just under one inch. I also have a good amount of leg hair and a fair amount of armpit hair.
I know, I have a lot of questions (ha ha ha). My mom’s a nurse but she never knows. My biggest concerns are that I’m not going to get taller and that my penis isn’t going to grow anymore in length or width. If you could tell me, I would appreciate it so much.
Answer
Your description is of someone in stage 4 of development. The stages last about two years for guys. During stage 4 a guy will grow another 1 to 3 inches, but it is spread out over the two years (mostly at the start of the stage). One of the reasons I have a question about where your half-height is on your body in the Tanner Stage Calculator is to verify if the upper and lower body are proportional. Not everyone is proportional when they are adults, but it gives yet another clue.
You only mentioned one of your grandparents, but you inherit from all four. If you take the average of your parents’ height (5’9″ in your case), then a typical male will be between that height and up to 10 inches more. For example, in my family, my brothers ranged from 5’9″ to 6’4″. It was the shortest one of us who was the most athletic. You are currently within the typical range, though you are on the low end. You’ll probably put on another inch or so, but I would not expect you to get above 5’11”.
The scraggly look is typical for a boy in stage 4. In fact, you aren’t likely to have full facial hair for several more years. That typically develops after you’ve stopped growing (reached stage 5).
Many guy’s nipples don’t stick out, except when they are tense, such as being cold or when sexually aroused, so this too is normal.
The penis constantly changes size, even as an adult. The blood flowing through it also flows through the testicles, so it is a part of the cooling mechanism for the testicles. When you are warm, such as after a shower, it will expand. When you are cold, it will shrink and it is quite normal for it to shrink down so much that the skin of the shaft covers the glans, even though you are circumcised.
This is why people only talk about a man’s erect length. But even this can vary depending on how strongly you are aroused. It is like a balloon being pumped up but with blood instead of air. The typical range for a male penis is from 3 to 8 inches. The average is 5.2 inches, so you are very close to the average penis size in length already [http://www.bjuinternational.com/bjui-blog/normal-review-analyzes-data-flaccid-erect-penis-lengths-men/]. The girth, measuring the circumference of the penis at the widest point when fully erect typically ranges from 4 to 6 inches with the average being 4.6 inches. So again you are in the normal range for a male, though on the low end. Still, it is during stage 4 that the penis increases in girth, so it is likely that you’ll be closer to average when you get done developing.
As I’ve told many boys, the size of a guy’s penis doesn’t really matter. Your wife’s vagina starts out about the size of your flaccid penis and adapts to whatever size your penis is. Bigger isn’t better when it comes to sex. In fact, women report that a large penis is more uncomfortable, especially at the beginning because more stretching is required to accommodate it. What makes for good sex with your wife is not the size of your penis, but how well you use what you have.
Question:
Well, that’s good to know about the penis size (haha). To go back to the height, my grandma is 5’4, grandpa 6’4, dad 6’1, and mom 5’5. I forgot to mention my grandma before. So since I’m 5’9, you really think I have a possibility of 10 more inches? And the midpoint of my body right now is my belly button.
Answer:
When I mentioned grandparents, I meant your mother’s side of the family as well as your father’s side both contribute to your height.
Something doesn’t add up because you said your torso was not to adult size. That would be typical for someone who has not completed stage 4. But usually, the midpoint after your growth spurt is below the base of your penis. This is because it is your legs that are getting longer during the growth spurt. So if your midpoint is up by your navel and you being in stage 4, it would mean that you are shorter in the legs than the “ideal” man. Not that this is a detriment. Michael Phelps has the same type of body and it is theorized that it is the reason he is such a great swimmer.
But will you grow 10 inches? That would be very unlikely given what you said about yourself. Most people grow about 1 to 3 inches in stage 4.
Question:
Well, I measured my height just now, and I was wrong. My midpoint is about the center of my penis, a little behind the head, so is that bad? And I should have mentioned this but my father was adopted so I have no clue about his biological parents’ heights. I’m sorry; I don’t mean to make this more confusing. So like I said my torso is small right now, I mean not childlike, but it’s not as big as let’s say a college kid’s chest. I’m probably overreacting with all this and just giving us both a headache about it (haha).
Answer:
That makes more sense. Instead of from where the end of your penis is, which varies depending on how warm or cold you are, it is compared to the base of the penis, where it comes out of your body. Just below typically indicates that you have a few more inches to grow, but definitely not ten inches.
Worrying about things you can’t change isn’t profitable. “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” (Luke 12:25). You are as the Lord made you. Your height was set at the time of your conception and you can’t change it now. Enjoy the body He has given to you.
Response:
That’s exactly what my mom says! Be happy with who you are. I really appreciate your help and putting up with my questions (ha ha ha).