Mixed Martial Arts Fighter Sues Sex Aids Company

May 30, 2013 • Health, Lifestyle, Toys •

Michael Waylon Lowe suffers penile injury using gel

Mixed martial artist Michael Waylon Lowe is suing a Philadelphia sex shop and the sex aids company Kama Sutra after a night of pleasure went horribly wrong.

The complaint, which was filed two weeks ago, involves Kama Sutra’s Prolonging Gel Pleasure Balm, a product that uses a small percentage of benzocaine — a common anesthetic — in order to help men last longer during sex.

Based on the complaint, Lowe had used this product before — and without incident. But something happened when he used it last September. Lowe and his fiancee were interrupted during sex by the cries of their three-year-old and during the break during which mom tended to baby, Lowe started to feel “excruciating pain and pressure in his penis.” The reaction resulted in swelling that required medical attention, and has unfortunately led to “penile scarring, loss of sensation and function, and nerve and tissue damage,” according to Philly.com.

Lowe is suing on the basis of negligence and failure to provide proper instructions to people using the gel, or any sort of warning with regard to possible risks and consequences. He’s seeking some $50,000 in damages.

The Mood shop, where Lowe bought the gel has pulled it from its shelves. Marla Lee, the president of Kama Sutra, is surprised. This gel has been manufactured by the company for 40 years without incident.

We’re working to get you the ingredients list and a more informative discussion about what you can expect from their combination. In the meantime, consider the moral of this story — a lot of sex aids (and toys) are not regulated. Before you play, make sure the thing you’re playing with agrees with you.

UPDATE: Kama Sutra, Co. has reached out to us to let us know that their product is, in fact, regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They assure us that they test all their products and that their facilities all abide by regulations set forth by the FDA. See their comment below for more information.

  • Kama Sutra

    Actually @A.V. Flox, this product is in fact regulated by the FDA. We at Kama Sutra follow very specific protocol and guidelines provided by the FDA when formulating our Pleasure Balm Prolonging Gel as seen by our Drug Facts panel. In fact, Kama Sutra goes above and beyond normal industry standards by putting all of our products through vigorous testing such as, RIPT, Microbial Challenge, Stability Tests as well as a Latex Compatibility Test. Our manufacturing facility is FDA regulated, as well as licensed for both drug and medical devices. For these reasons, Kama Sutra is confident that our tested product with a 40+ year proven record of safety and reliability is not the cause of Mr. Lowe’s injuries. While we of course sympathize for Mr. Lowe’s disconcerting problem, we trust he had a speedy recovery as shown by his recent MMA victory. His allegations are not consistent with our scientific reviews of our ingredients. Without knowing all the factors in Mr. Lowe’s case we can only assume other mitigating details must be involved. We sincerely appreciate the overwhelming support we have received.

    • avflox

      Thank you for responding to the post with regard to the status of this product. This is a very unfortunate situation and your speed in engaging with developing discussions is commendable and important. It is our hope that Mr. Lowe will recover as well, though I think looking into the matter and determining what the mitigating circumstances may have been so that future users will know what not to do is also very important.