Most people have never heard of Peyronie’s disease, which affects about 4 in 100 men. In fact, even some men who have Peyronie’s disease have never heard of it. What is it? Peyronie’s disease is named after the doctor who first described it in 1743 and refers to a penis with scar tissue that causes it to bend or curve severely. The penile deformity can cause painful erections or difficulty having sex. Even when the pain is minimal, the patient may have significant anxiety and depression as a result of the disease. Like many diseases that can affect a man’s sexual organs, there’s a certain stigma around discussing things out in the open. The truth is there’s no reason for things to be awkward. Getting things out in the open can only help.
Symptoms of Peyronie's Disease
The following symptoms indicate possible Peyronie’s disease:
- Painful erections
- Soft erections
- Lumps in the penis
- Bent or curved penis
Peyronie’s disease is most often seen in men between 40 and 70 years of age. In its acute phase, usually lasting about 5 to 7 months, plaques, or flat areas of scar tissue, begin to actively form beneath the skin of the penis. The penis starts to bend or curve depending on where the scar tissue forms. Plaques may form all the way around the penis, causing a narrowing of the shaft of the penis. The penis may also lose length.
When the plaques stop forming and the bend or curve is no longer worsening, the penis shape and size stabilizes. This is the chronic phase of the disease. Any pain experienced during the acute phase is usually gone or minimal during the chronic phase. However, difficulty with sex may continue, depending on the severity of the disease. To diagnose the disease, the doctor will palpate the penis. The scar tissue can usually be felt whether the penis is erect or flaccid.
Causes of Peyronie's Disease
The scar tissue forms when the penis is injured, such as when the penis bends during a soft erection or during vigorous sex. Sports injuries or other accidents may also cause the plaques. Only some men who experience trauma to the penis develop the characteristic fibrous scar tissue, so most researchers believe secondary factors, such as genetic differences in the way the body heals or environmental influences, actually cause the disease.
Treating Peyronie's Disease
Peyronie’s disease doesn’t always need to be treated. If the bend or curve is mild and there is no impairment to sexual function, doctors and patients may decide no intervention is necessary. Men seeking treatment for Peyronie’s disease often do so to improve their or their partner’s sexual experience. Possible treatments include the following:
- Medication - Oral drug therapies have proven ineffective. For mild cases, medications can be injected into scar tissue to help soften or break it up. This is not always effective.
- Traction therapy - In traction therapy, a self-applied device stretches the penis. Traction devices have been shown to return lost length to the penis, improve curvature, improve sexual performance, and cause changes in the scar tissue which allow it to heal. Unfortunately, the device generally needs to be used for about 3 hours a day for best outcomes, although a newer device is promising results for just 30 to 90 minutes a day.
- Surgery. Surgery can remove or break up the scar tissue, improve the look of the penis, and improve sexual function. The surgery is outpatient and recovery takes about a week. Potential complications such as numbness of the penis and worsening erectile dysfunction are rare. The surgery generally causes slight shortening of the penis, but this is not noticeable to most men.