An Iranian who set out to get a pithy phrase tattooed on his penis got a little more than he bargained for.

The unnamed 21-year-old asked for the words “borow be salaamat” — translated as “good luck with your journeys” — and his girlfriend’s initial, “M,” on his penis and ended up with a semi-permanent erection as a bonus.

ADVERTISEMENT

Doctors from the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in Kermanshah, Iran diagnosed the man with a non-ischemic priapism, a condition where blood flowing out of the penis is not sufficient enough to shrink the erection.

“In our case, most probably, the handheld needle penetrated the penis too deep, creating an arteriovenous fistula,” the study authors wrote in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

The Mayo Clinic defines an arteriovenous fistula as an “abnormal connection between an artery and a vein.”

The man’s painful penis had no erections for eight days following the tattooing and then he “noticed longer-than-usual sleep-related erections,” according to the study’s authors. “This progressed, within a week, to a constantly half-rigid penis, day and night.”

As anyone who has ever watched a Viagra advertisement knows, men are advised to “seek medical help for an erection lasting longer than four hours.”

ADVERTISEMENT

In the case of the Iranian man, doctors had to implant a shunt in his penis, allowing the excess blood to drain.

“Predictably, the procedure was unsuccessful,” the study authors noted. “Because of the painless nature of erections, moderately good preservation of erectile function during intercourses, and disappointment with former surgery, the patient has declined to undergo further therapies, and lives with his condition.”

“Based on our unique case, we discourage penile tattooing,” they added.

ADVERTISEMENT

The man, however, said he had no regrets.

Photo: Flickr/mr.ainsworth

(H/T: ABC News)