How can I tell if the ring is too tight, too loose or just right?
Question
How can I tell if the ring is too tight, too loose or just right? I put it in when my penis was flaccid and it was very tight, making me wonder if there was going to be an issue at erection.
VS
Answer
Hi VS,
Thanks very much for the question. Quite a few guys ask the same question so I'm thankful for the reminder to explain in detail.
Blood flows into the penis through the cavernosal arteries that are deep within the penile tissue. Blood flows out of the penis through the dorsal veins that are located on the top of the penis, near the surface. The idea behind a ring like Xialla is that the pressure is able to compress the dorsal veins on the surface to slow blood flow out of the penis. However, the pressure should not be enough to prevent blood from flowing in through the cavernosal arteries.
In general, this works very well, because of the arteries being deeper in the penis and therefore more difficult to compress. However, as you correctly point out, if the ring is too tight it raises a concern that it will block blood from flowing into the penis through the arteries.
The answer is that it depends how tight the ring is, and a bit of experimentation helps to find the right tightness.
It's ok for the blood to be slowed from flowing into the penis initially, if the penis is still soft (flaccid). In this case the soft penis allows the ring to compress enough that the arteries can be compressed, slowing blood inflow. You can tell this is happening because the penis may bulge behind the ring at the base of the penis. This is blood flowing into the penis as the erection starts, but not being able to get past the compressed arteries.
When this happens we recommend gently compressing the base of the penis to squeeze the blood through. Only gentle but firm compression is needed. If gentle/firm compression doesn't squeeze the blood through, it's a sign that the ring is too tight.
squeeze the blood through
Once the blood is squeezed through, the penis will start to enlarge and become erect. As the erection starts, the Xialla ring will be expanded by the enlarging erection. The expanded Xialla ring will therefore no longer compress the arteries deep within the penis, and the blood will be able to continue to flow into the penis on its own.
To summarize:
1. If the ring is uncomfortably tight, it's too small and you should try the next larger size.
2. If the ring feels tight but not uncomfortable, and if you can squeeze the blood through as explained above with gentle/firm compression, then the size is ok.
3. If it's difficult to squeeze the blood through and the blood keeps collecting to bulge the base even after the penis is erect, then the ring is too small.
4. If there is pain or numbness then the ring is too small.
5. If the ring feels very comfortable, but doesn't work effectively, then it may be too large.
Keep in mind that you can try a different size for free. Just contact us for a size change and we'll send it right out to you.
Kind regards,
The Xialla Medical Team
