Dr. James Elist is a renowned urologist based in Beverly Hills, California. For over 40 years, he has built a successful practice focused on improving male sexual health. Dr. Elist leveraged his years of experience to develop Penuma and its next-gen iteration, Himplant, a male enhancement solution that enhances the lives of scores of men suffering from sexual insecurity with their size.
Elist’s origin story — and the compelling tale of the evolution of Penuma and Himplant — are a testament to perseverance and innovation and can serve as inspiration to inventors, medical practitioners, and patients alike.
Where It All Began
Dr. James Elist was born in Iran to a close-knit family. He fondly remembers growing up under the omnipresent shadow of his grandmother, who had a clear vision for his future. “Her vision for me was not just to become a doctor, but a healer whose work would transcend traditional medicine,” he recalled. “She envisioned a future where I could impact lives on a deep, personal level, blending physical and emotional well-being.”
With his grandmother’s vision as inspiration, Elist enrolled in the University of Tehran and graduated with a medical degree. His pursuit of innovation led him to the United States, where he gained career-defining training that laid the foundation for his later invention.
But he never forgot his grandmother’s impact on his life.
“It was her belief in my potential that inspired me to pursue specialties where I could truly enhance patients’ lives, making every achievement in my journey a tribute to her vision,” he said.
Early Years as a Urologist
Elist started his career in the 1980s, coinciding with a big boom in plastic surgery as public perception about these procedures was rapidly changing. Around the same time, nonsurgical procedures were also gaining popularity; chief among these were injectable fillers. And some surgeons started to inject fillers into penises to increase their girth. Unfortunately, there was always a risk of things going horribly wrong.
“In Miami in the late ’80 and early ’90s, one of the plastic surgeons injected fat inside the arteries of the penis, and the patient died on the table. That brought a lot of attention of the media, that injection of fat and everything is something very dangerous,” Elist recalls.
As a young urologist, Dr. James Elist often saw patients who had botched plastic surgeries. He observed that many of these men were left with lasting psychological damage. “Treating the unfavorable outcome of other surgeries will teach you a lot about what you should not do,” he shared. “I worked with engineers and scientists to ensure that Penuma is designed not to affect the natural function of the penis and it can be safely removed if need be, unlike the previous methods.”
These early experiences left a lasting impact on Elist. He understood that there was a genuine need in the market for effective cosmetic procedures because the men who sought these procedures were clearly impacted deeply enough to take on such a risk. The solution then was to devise a method that truly worked.
“The inception of the Penuma implant and its subsequent evolution into the Himplant was driven by the noticeable void in effective solutions for men experiencing distress over their penile size and functionality,” he remarked.
Devising an Effective Procedure
Dr. James Elist leveraged his experience to build a device that would revolutionize the male sexual health industry.
During a flight to the Middle East, he had an aha moment. Away from the distractions of the world, he realized that the answer was to use silicone, the kind used for breast implants — and Pemuma was born. The idea was to design a cylindrical silicone implant that could be surgically inserted under the penile skin. Its addition would increase the girth.
This was an unusual idea, and predictably, Dr. James Elist faced much opposition. Upon returning to the U.S., he discussed his idea with friends and urologists, who were unconvinced.
Ignoring the naysayers, Elist came up with a design and patented it. Throughout this journey, he was inspired by the words of Albert Einstein: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” It made him realize that the obstacles he faced were, in fact, gateways to discovery and impact.
Fortunately for him and the hundreds of patients whose lives have been transformed by Penuma and now Himplant, Elist was successful. He surrounded himself with engineers and other interested urologists to come with Himplant and get a Food and Drug Administration clearance, making it the only FDA-cleared penile enhancement solution on the market.
In 2021, his procedure was performed at Harvard Medical School, a long-standing dream, and is now actively discussed in academic circles. This has been crucial for his mission because it granted the procedure credibility. It also encouraged other urologists and cosmetic surgeons to join his team, paving the way for future improvements.
“The dream now is just to go international, teach the procedure to more physicians so that more patients enjoy what we have at this point, and change their life, and bring peace to their life and happiness to their self-confidence and self-esteem,” says Dr. James Elist.
