Today, Italy has more to offer than just pizza and pasta. For Italian men, penis enlargement is a growth industry (pun intended).

A top Italian plastic surgeon has claimed that “changing room syndrome” is causing a huge increase in the number of men opting to undergo penis enlargement surgery.

Dr. Alessandro Littara, director of the Center for Sexual Medicine in Milan, has revealed that surgical procedures to boost mens’ manhood increases by 25 per cent every year,

Even though the operation costs between $4.000 to $9.000 the center, which specializes in penis enlargement, carried out 300 procedures during the past 12 months.

The cost determines that it is mainly men aged between 30 and 50 who are able to take advantage of what the center has to offer.

Interestingly, Dr. Littara says that patients usually want their penis to be made thicker. Only a few request an increase in length, but some request both.

He said: “With everyone seeing images of the body the whole time these days, men are more aware and worried about their bodies – all the parts are important and the genitals are no exception. We’re living in the age of images, with sexual ones very often on the front page, he told Adnkronos news agency.

He added, “So sex gets more attention and people feel the need to be more competitive.”

The decision of many to opt for surgery is certainly not without its risks. A study by the University of Turin in 2011 found that the operation had an unacceptably high rate of complications.

So why are Italian men so keen to have the operation when. According to yet another survey, by Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at Ulster University, Italian men are better endowed than men from Germany, the UK, France, and Spain.

The research claimed that the Italian average was 6.2 inches when erect compared to a British average of 5.5 inches. The only European country to top Italy in the table was Iceland with an average of 6.5 inches.

Perhaps Dr. Littara is fortunate that his center is in Milan and not in Africa. Men from the Republic of Congo had the biggest penises, with an average of 7.1 inches.

In Italy, it appears to be the case that “size matters” is a phrase which is taken very seriously.