Dark Glans While Pumping

I find it hard to believe this hasn’t been posted before, but I couldn’t find anything on it.

During a pumping session, the top of my glans becomes dark and looks almost like a bruise. When I take the pump off, it goes away in a few seconds, but I don’t know what causes this. The only thing I can think of is too much pressure, but I don’t see why it would turn dark since circulation isn’t being restricted.

I actually posted about the same thing a while back, but I think it was in another thread. I believe it is due to blood becoming trapped in the capillaries under the skin of the glans due to the vacuum. I haven’t stayed in the cylinder long enough for my whole glans to become purple, but I do get blotches. Like you, they go away quickly, especially I massage the glans by rolling it between my palms gently.

I haven’t pumped regularly in a while, but if I remember correctly, after a week of regular low pressure (4inhg) pumping, the effect was reduced.

I think it depends on a) vacuum pressure; b) temperature; c) contact with the cylinder wall. When your glans pushes against the wall, blood is forced away I think, so there is less oxygenation of tissue.

It’s not unusual for the penis to darken during a session. It’s a good reason to take a break periodically during your session. You can just decrease the vacuum to near-zero for a short period every once in a while, or withdraw from the cylinder completely and do a little light massage or a few jelqs.