Scarleteen

I turned 15 a month ago, ever since I first started seeing the signs of puberty I was always worried about my penis size, currently at age 15 my penis is 3 inches flaccid and 5 inches erect, I am quite a heavy person and does weight have anything to do with the my size?

Hi dq15,

We actually have a great article about this on the site: Shown Actual Size: A Penis Shape & Size Lowdown.

To touch on some key points from it:

What someone weighs also isn't going to have much to do with the size of the penis, though thin men's penises may look bigger in perspective to the rest of their bodies, and larger men's penises may look smaller in the context of the rest of their bodies.

That being said, your penis is simply going to be the size that it is. It's incredibly common to wonder about it, but you need not be concerned.

Why are you concerned?

Because I am smaller than most of my friends and people I talk to my age online, I am also below average for my age when all of my friends are above.

Body parts come in all shapes and sizes, and penises are no exception. Your size is totally normal, regardless of what the penis sizes of those around you are.

If it's truly distressing you, however, it may help to know that penis size changes well into your late teens or early twenties. Often it'll grow faster in length than in girth too.

I also can’t pull the foreskin back over the head of my penis when erect, is this normal?

Quoting from this article: "some people's foreskins are just really tighter in general; they might not retract below the head of the penis at all even once the person reaches adulthood. Medically speaking, having a very tight foreskin is known as phimosis, and it's usually caused either by late maturation or by repeated infections and/or scarring of the foreskin (it can also occur as a result of a circumcision). This is not necessarily always a problem: some people with phimosis do just fine without any medical intervention. Some people might experience some discomfort at times, and for others, it may be very painful. So, if it feels like a problem for you, by all means, check in with a healthcare provider so you can discuss their suggestions and your options."

Is it painful for you, not being able to pull the foreskin back over the head when you're erect?

Not exactly painful just gets stuck and I don’t exactly want to force it down, only recently able to pull it down soft.

Not forcing it is a sound call. If it's not causing you any pain, then it's likely that you're just experiencing one of the many ways a penis can be.

It is definitely looser than it was a year ago and can somewhat pull it back so I’m not sure if it is something that is going to happen eventually as me penis grows or if it is going to be this way forever.

Honestly, it's sort of a wait and see situation. If you end up needing more information about how to deal with and care for your foreskin, that link Urna gave you will be really helpful.

I feel under developed compared to most of my friends

Is there a particular reason you're feeling that way?

It may help to know that you're still right in the middle of puberty, so your (and all of your friends) body is still in the process of growing and changing. So, in addition to the fact there's a ton of diversity in how bodies and genitals look, you're still at a point where your body may end up looking different than it does right now.

I have never seen a proper noticeable change in my penis shape or size and sometimes feel like I am running out of time for it to change, I also don’t look or sound my age.

I'll echo Sam - you're still at an age where you can keep growing and changing and your body, genitals included, might look very different in a few years. I understand it can be frustrating to sit around and wait, but you're definitely not running out of time, everyone's timeline is different.

Ok, I thought you were supposed to be able to retract the foreskin by like age 5?

Many people are able to retract their foreskins by that age, but not everyone can, and it isn't necessarily a sign of a problem. It sounds like it isn't painful for you, which is a good sign. If it ever does become painful or uncomfortable, it's something you could discuss with your doctor.

It is just a bit of a pull to get it down when soft, it will go down but it is often a bit uncomfortable and doesn’t easy slip over the head.

As Sam and others mentioned earlier, it sounds like you're just experiencing one of the ways that a penis can be, the best thing to do is not to force it, and so cause yourself injury, if it starts to get uncomfortable, then don't push it further.

As you're in the middle of puberty, there are still changes that might happen to your body, and this happens on a different timeline for people. People with penises will usually be done with puberty by the time they're 20 - 25; so there is still quite a bit of puberty to go for you, even if others are on a faster timeline for certain things, it is nothing to worry about, we are all different.

I feel like a bit of a freak at the moment though. Like I am broken

Hi dq15 -- I'm so sorry you're feeling like this right now. Puberty is a confusing and stressful time - particularly because we may know what's "supposed to" happen during this period and what it's "supposed to" be like, and if that isn't what's happening it can feel like there's something wrong with us. I felt similarly when I was going through puberty; I felt too ahead in some ways and way behind in others compared to my friends. I felt "defective," and the worst part was that there was nothing I could do about it. What I learned then - and what some have said already - is that all bodies are different, especially while going through puberty. One thing I can assure you is that though you may feel isolated in this experience and these feelings, they are very common - even if others aren't expressing it.

Is there a reason why you are so concerned about your penis size in particular? I know that you've mentioned your friends' bodies have changed and that you wonder if you're running out of time to change. If you didn't know what was going on with your friends, would you still feel as concerned?

I wouldn’t feel as concerned but I still would feel concerned, my penis size hasn’t changed noticeably at all and is still the same sort of size it has always been.

I am also worried that I won't be able to please a sexual partner if it doesn't grow.

Hey there!
The good news is that penis size doesn't correlate to pleasure. Like Urna said in this thread, your size is totally normal. There are many ways to please a sexual partner when the time comes, some of which don't have to involve a penis at all!

That is good to know.

I think, too, that some people have the thought that there's a "best" size or shape for a penis to be, in terms of what partners will enjoy. Just like there's no "most attractive" person, though, there's no "best" type of penis, either! People have all sorts of preferences, and plenty of folks don't have a real preference for one type of penis over another at all.