Last updated on June 16, 2026
Question:
Hello minister,
I was wondering if I could possibly reach 5’9″. I am 5’8″. Lately, I’ve had an increased appetite for a month, but I had a week or so when it wasn’t as high as it has been. My last growth pause was 6 months ago. I grew 1 inch in a couple of months; since then, that’s all I’ve grown at age 15. I turn 16 next month, and I was wondering if I have more to grow. I’ve noticed my shoulders have widened from 16 inches to 17 inches recently. Does this have anything to do with my appetite, and will I grow some more?
Answer:
An increased appetite usually indicates growth, but not necessarily in height. Your widening shoulders would definitely increase your appetite, as would developing larger muscles. I would guess that you are in late stage 4. At that point, I would only expect you to put on a fraction of an inch.
Question:
Thanks for getting back to me.
Do you know when my sort of baby face could possibly go away?
Do the two strands near my sideburns on my jawline indicate stage 5? I also have chin hair strands that are sort of noticeable if you aren’t far away. My voice also sounds a bit high-pitched when I don’t drink water all day at school and wear a mask, and it fluctuates a lot throughout the day when I go outside.
My penis has also not seemed to have grown in a year or two, but I was wondering if it could increase a bit more. It currently stands at 5.75-6 erect.
Answer:
One way people judge age is by the texture of your facial skin. As you develop more facial hair, people will see you as older. Since this is still developing, people assume you are younger.
It is not good to go without water all day. Your body needs about 6 to 8 cups of liquid every day to function well.
Prolonged mask-wearing (in the 4 to 6 hour range) has adverse effects on your health, partly due to increased exposure to your own carbon dioxide. See
- Elisheva Rosner, “Adverse Effects of Prolonged Mask Use among Healthcare Professionals during COVID-19“, Journal of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, 6:130, 2020.
- Kisielinski, K., “Wearing face masks as a potential source for inhalation and oral uptake of inanimate toxins – A scoping review“, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 275, 115858, 2024.
It sounds like you are still adjusting to a lower-pitched voice, which is why it fluctuates. This will settle down in a year or two.
Since the average penis length is 5.24 when erect, you are already above the average. There might be a slight increase in penile length during stage 4, but most of the increase will be in your girth.
Response:
Thank you.
Question:
Hello minister,
I came to update you. I am 16 now, and after my nine-month pause, I have grown some. I recently went from 5’7 3/4 to 5’8 1/4, and my appetite is still high. I was wondering if I could get an estimate of how much I have left in me and whether I could reach 5’9 before I’m done growing. I’ve been more tired, and my appetite has been way higher than before.
Answer:
You need to remember that I can’t see you. I would need to know your current weight, your parents’ heights, and your stage to use the Predicting Your Adult Height calculators. I would assume that you are in late stage 4, and as I stated before, I thought you would add a fraction of an inch to your height (and you did add 1/2 inch so far).
Even though your growth in height is slowing down, your body is still changing. You are in the phase where you put on muscle mass, and that takes a lot of energy. I don’t know how active you are, but I suspect that is also keeping your appetite up. It will likely stay strong until you reach your early 20s.