Dark world of ‘predatory’ penis filler clinics after Brit’s death as patients left with ‘disfigured & infected genitals’

LYING on the operating table under white lights, Igho Ubiribo was about to go under the needle to fix his biggest insecurity.

But hours after his , the Brit influencer, 43, was rushed to hospital and pronounced dead.

Igho suffered a pulmonary embolism shortly after his surgery in Thailand on March 6, a UK inquest heard last week.

Coroners found hyaluronic acid – a clear gel-like substance commonly used in penis enlargement ops – in his lungs.

Businessman Igho had undergone five penis enlargement surgeries before his death.

The tragedy marked the latest in a series of botched penis filler ops – a trend that has left behind a trail of horrors across the globe, including in the UK, US, Mexico, Russia, France, Thailand and Turkey.

Self-professed “King of Penis Filler” Chris Bustamante said there were “predatory” unlicensed clinics taking advantage of girth-seeking patients.

The practitioner, who helps clients temporarily achieve , warned that some surgeries are prioritising cash over safety.

The Lushful Aethetics CEO told The Sun: “As more men engage in cosmetic procedures, you’re gonna have way more predatory clinics abroad, but also within the US and the UK as well.

“I’ve heard of clinics where the locations change all the time… you’re not really sure who’s injecting you.”

Igho’s story may just be the tip of the iceberg, Ashton Collins, the director of UK practitioner vetting platform Save Face, warned.

He said the “true scale is likely to be underestimated” because of limited data on Brits travelling abroad for girth-enhancement surgeries.

Patients on the quest for thicker penises without going under the knife have two options – temporary or permanent enlargement ops.

Both paths have contributed to the skyrocketing penis filler demand – which has boomed alongside “unscrupulous operators” at a dangerous pace, Collins said.

He told The Sun: “Penile enlargement is an area where demand has grown far faster than the evidence, regulation and safeguards needed to protect patients.”

His organisation recorded a whopping 1,100 per cent increase in penile enlargement procedure complaints since 2022.

There is also a seemingly endless host of overseas clinics using social media accounts to lure Brits abroad with the promise of cheap hassle-free ops, he warned.

A string of grisly penis enlargement stories have laid bare the dark side of the rising manhood augmentation trend.

In August last year, a Russian man died after doctors injected hyaluronic acid into his member.

The failed operation caused the moisture-binding molecule to reach his lungs, medical experts in Moscow ruled in a chilling echo of Igho’s case.

In 2019, a 65-year-old Israeli-Belgian diamond-trading billionaire died from a heart attack during a penis enlargement operation in Paris.

Two surgeons were cleared of any wrongdoing in his death, but were handed suspended prison terms and banned from practising for having improper qualifications.

And in October 2025, was arrested for performing illegal penis enlargement surgeries in the back of his Toyota Corolla.

Boasting his services on platforms like TikTok, bogus medic Pittaya Moolin, 51, charged just over £200 per penis filler injection.

Penis fillers also made headlines at the Winter Olympics as rumours swirled of male skiers using them to increase the surface area of their suits so they could jump further.

Temporary fillers, as opposed to permanent ones, use dissolvable materials like hyaluronic acid, a type of naturally occurring sugar molecule.

They increase the thickness of the penis but do not make it longer, cost around £6,000 per jab, and can last about nine months.

These types of ops have seen a meteoric rise in popularity over recent years, and Bustamante says he gives out three to five of them per day.

The procedure can take just 30 minutes, and sees men receiving multiple injections.

But those looking for a long-term solution usually go down the route of permanent fillers.

These ops use non-biodegradable synthetic substances like liquid silicone or PMMA – tiny plastic microspheres.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US has not approved their use for body augmentation surgeries, nor have UK medical authorities.

While offering lifetime volume, they carry the risk of severe complications including painful hard lumps, filler migration, infection, tissue necrosis, and permanent damage to erectile tissue.

Bustamante doesn’t offer any permanent fillers and he strongly advises against them.

Even though temporary jabs are considered safer than their lifelong counterparts, risks such as swelling, bruising, infection, and lumps still exist.

Bustamante outlined a horror story where one of his patients had gone to Mexico for permanent filler – only to come back with a “very deformed” penis.

The practitioner said: “He saved a lot of money going to Mexico, but he ended up having this permanent product migrate on him immediately.”

Bustamante said in another shock case, someone seeking larger testicles was left with the illusion of having a third testicle.

He said: “They had gone to Mexico to get filler injected inside their scrotum, which ended up creating this sort of pseudo-effect of having almost like an extra larger ball inside.

“This filler became infected, and they ended up having to cut this person’s scrotum open in order to clear out the infection, drain everything out, and it was horrific.”

He suspects the practitioner may have injected the filler directly inside the scrotum – rather than its skin.

Surgical andrology expert Vaibhav Modgil said permanent fillers are “particularly concerning” as opposed to temporary ones which are “generally preferable”.

But he warned neither procedure is completely risk-free.

Describing permanent fillers, he told The Sun: “Once injected, they cannot simply be dissolved.

“They can provoke chronic inflammation, granuloma formation, infection, fibrosis and significant penile deformity, sometimes presenting months or even years later.”

Those with disfigured private parts may have to go under the knife for reconstructive surgery or have parts of their genitals removed, he warned.

Fertility expert Dr Steven Palter warned some of these jabs could have life-changing implications due to the glaring lack of regulation – including sperm checks.

He told The Sun: “The scrotum’s purpose is to regulate the temperature of sperm, anything that interferes with this ability could pose a risk.

“Unapproved, non-sterile techniques can cause temporary or permanent damage to the testicle.

“If you have blot clots or an infection, you could lose your penis or testicles.”

Igho, who had four previous temporary penis enlargement surgeries at the same clinic according to Thai authorities, took a substantial dose of hyaluronic acid, Bustamante said.

The cosmetic clinic claimed they advised Igho to split the procedure into two parts rather than one session.

But he allegedly requested the surgery to be completed all in one go, the doctors said.

Bustamante said: “I’ve injected guys all throughout that range, and there isn’t a single person that I have encountered who could handle 40 milliliters in one sitting.

“I think the most I’ve ever injected in one sitting has probably been around, like 26 or so, 28 for someone who’s especially long.

“It gets more risky as people are injecting so much.”

The practitioner said it was crucial to use the correct instrument, as some needles which are too thin risk perforating the penis and entering blood vessels.