HAVANA – A leading Cuban sexologist Saturday urged young men who are worried about the size of their penis not to take advantage of the communist nation’s free health care to have surgery to enlarge their manhood.

“It is not necessary that the penis be so long to encourage a woman… because she has many areas of erotic stimulation,” said Ramiro Fragas, a sex expert at the Ministry of Public Health.

He made his recommendation in a full-page interview in Juventud Rebelde, the newspaper of Cuban youth, after becoming alarmed at “significant” demand from young men for penis enlargement operations.

Although such surgeries are free, they require approval from a team of doctors and health experts.

He also stated that the average Cuban man’s penis, 11 to 15 centimeters (four to six inches), according to medical data, was in line with international averages.

And Fragas cautioned that the benefits of such treatment were usually less than desired.

“At most, one or two centimeters,” he said, warning of negative after-effects relating to the aesthetics of the male member.

After assessing “dozens” of surgery requests, Fragas said Cuban surgeons had conducted penis enlargement surgery on 20 male patients on account of birth defects or other medical problems.

“Self-esteem and knowledge” is the best way of combating the anxiety about having a small penis, Fragas concluded.