Thai man's penis removed after botched enlargement

BANGKOK (AFP) - Health officials on Friday told Thai men size does not matter after a patient had to have his genitals removed following a botched attempt to enlarge his penis by injecting olive oil into the organ.

The risky and unproven method using the oil - although bees wax, silicone and even paraffin are often also used - is common in Thailand with one Bangkok hospital receiving about 40 patients a month concerned about side-effects.

The 50-year-old man, whose genitals were removed this week after he reported a severe infection, underwent several olive oil injections over a number of years, a spokesman for the Bangkok-based Police General Hospital told AFP.

He was diagnosed with cancer prompting the drastic surgery.