Peyronie’s disease is a medical condition that affects the penis, where scar tissue (called plaques) forms under the skin of the penile shaft. This scar tissue causes the penis to bend or curve during erections, which can sometimes be painful and may interfere with sexual activity.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary provides the following definition:

"Peyronie's (pay-roe-NEEZ) Disease is the formation of fibrous plaques in one or both corpora cavernosa of the penis resulting in distortion or deflection of the erect organ"

Collin's Dictionary provides the following definition:

"Origin: after François Gigot de la Peyronie, 18th-c. Fr surgeon a medical condition characterized chiefly by a marked curvature of the erect penis also: Peyronie disease"

Peyronie's Disease is believed to develop from repeated injury or trauma to the penis during vigorous sex.

This chronic trauma is most likely from minor low-grade injuries that occur from repeated sexual activity.

The trauma can also be a single distinct event like a penile fracture during sex.

This trauma, which occurs to the tunica albuginea in the penis, triggers an abnormal healing response that leads to the formation of dense scar tissue (plaque), that is not cleared and removed by the body's natural healing systems. This plaque grows and causes penile curvature, pain, and sometimes erectile dysfunction.

Statistics for Peyronie's Disease vary widely depending on the studies and populations. There are also many men living with the disease who don't report it or seek treatment.

General Prevalence: 3-10% of men are affected by Peyronie's Disease.

Clinical Studies: 5-10% of men are diagnosed with the condition, as these are men seeking treatment at medical facilities.

Men Ages 40-70 Years Old: 10-15% of men in this age range are diagnosed with PD.

The number one cause of Peyronie's Disease is trauma and microtrauma during vigorous activities.

Sex or sexual activities in which there are vigorous or repeated penile overextension movements is the most common cause of trauma to the penis.

Stresses during erections, sports accidents, or other acute injuries can also cause penile trauma and microtrauma.

There is not a single genetic disorder that causes Peyronie's Disease, but there are genetic predispositions that put men at greater risk.

Men that have a family history of connective tissue disorders like Dupuytren's contracture, have an increased risk of PD.

Dupuytren's contracture is a condition that causes one or more fingers to curl inward, bend toward the palm of the hand, and become permanently bent.

Thickened tissue forms in the palm of the hand and pulls on tendons in the fingers which causes them to bend inward.

This bending or curving is similar to what hands with the penis in Peyronie's Disease.

Age is a clear risk factor for Peyronie's Disease as the condition often appears in men in their 50s and 60s.

Older men are at greater risk for PD due to the amount of times they've used their penis, and the incurred trauma, and microtrauma.

Over time this accumulated sexual activity can cause subtle and unnoticed trauma and microtrauma, which leads to PD.

While men of any age can get Peyronie's Disease, it becomes a lot more common as men get older, and is most common in men between the ages of 45 and 70.

Pre-existing health conditions that affect bodily processes like blood vessels, connective tissue, and healing, are also risk factors for Peyronie's Disease.

• Diabetes is considered a risk factor for PD since men with this condition have poorer blood vessel health and circulation which can lead to abnormal or adverse would healing in penile tissue.
• Hypertension is another risk factor since vascular strain in blood vessels can also reduce healthy blood flow and form plaque.
• Cardiovascular disease can impact the heart and circulation making tissue repair more difficult and scarring more likely.

Recognizing a bend or curve in your erect penile shape is normally one of the earliest indicators of Peyronie's Disease.

The bend or curve may start off barely noticeable, and slowly progress to being more pronounced.

The penile shape can be upward, downward, left, right, or a combination of any directions.

During the active or stabilizing stages of Peyronie's Disease, some men may experience other visual changes in their penis such as shortening, indentations on the shaft, and narrowing, which can give the penis an hourglass appearance.

Another early indicator of Peyronie's Disease is the presence of lumps or hard spots beneath the penile skin.

These lumps or hard spots can be any size or firmness, and may be painful or painless.

They can be anything from a small flat bump to a large tougher ridge, and they generally form where there is underlying tissue damage and plaque formation.

Another key symptom of Peyronie's Disease is pain or discomfort, which can range from just mild soreness and discomfort to sharper pain, and this tends to appear during an erection versus flaccid.

Pain and discomfort is more commonly experienced during the early and active stages of Peyronie's Disease when scar tissue is still developing and it becomes inflamed.

Poor erection quality and penile hardness is the last significant symptom to recognize for Peyronie's Disease.

During an erection, some men may experience difficulty in achieving or maintaining an erection, which can be the result of tissue damage and plaque formation.

Erections may also appear asymmetrical with one side harder and firmer than the other, typically the side that is not affected by plaque formation and the disease.

It's important to stay alert and knowledgeable about PD symptoms, as the disease can be more effectively managed when it's detected early.

Since you are engaging your penis on a daily basis, make sure to note and monitor any small, subtle changes listed above, and to schedule an appointment with a doctor or urologist if they worsen.

It's always best to be fully prepared when seeing a doctor, so they have all the information necessary to understand what's happening.

At the earliest sign of pain, changes in erection quality, and bending or curving, make sure to record the date, symptoms, experiences, and to take photos. Doing this in your smartphone note app or word pad is sufficient.

The doctor will ask about your sexual history and if there were any sexual experiences, accidents, or injuries that occurred that might have caused the onset of Peyronie's Disease. Their primary goal is to determine whether the disease is in its active phase, when curvature and pain are still developing, or its stable phase, when the penile shape has stabilized and the pain subsided.

Provide the doctor all notes, dates, pictures, and experiences, so they can determine if PD is in its active phase with inflammation and pain, or a more stable phase in which scar tissue has hardened into plaque.

The next step is usually a physical examination in which the doctor will feel the penis to detect any hardened spots or plaque.

One thing to note is that Peyronie's Disease is normally easiest to detect with an erect penis, so the doctor may induce an artificial erection using medication to be able to perform a proper physical examination. If this makes you uncomfortable, you may also take photos of your penis beforehand in its erect state for the doctor to review.

If plaques and an unnatural curvature in the penis are identified, the urologist or doctor may want to perform testing and imaging to view internal structures in the penis.

The most common imaging for Peyronie's Disease is an ultrasound, although and MRI or X-ray may be used in complex cases or where surgery is possible.

The ultrasound will use sound waves to visualize the potential location and density of plaque formation, and if there is calcification in the scar tissue. It can also assess blood flow issues in the penis, since PD can lead to erectile dysfunction in men.

Following the initial consultation, physical examination, and imaging testing, the doctor or urologist will provide their diagnosis of the disease, and what stage they believe it's at.

The doctor will explain whether they believe the disease is mild, moderate, or severe, and discuss treatment options.

Treatment options include but are not limited to simply monitoring the condition and symptoms if it's early and mild, medication, traction devices, injection therapy, or surgery.

The main goals of Peyronie's Disease treatment are to reduce pain, prevent further deformity of the penis, restore sexual function, straighten the penile shape, and remove or reduce plaques.

During the active phase of Peyronie's Disease, when symptoms are still changing and progressing, doctors will suggest medication and other oral treatments.

Pentoxifylline or potassium para-aminobenzoate (Potaba) are two medications prescribed to help reduce plaque formation in the penile tissue, and improve blood flow in the shaft, which can also aid the penis in naturally fighting the disease.

Vitamin E, colchicine, or acetyl-L-carnitine are vitamins that can help slow the development of scar tissue and treat the disease.

OTC pain medicine and anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen can help relieve discomfort and pain during the early stages.

Traction therapy involves using gradual, sustained tension on the penis to help break down and remodel damaged scar tissue and plaques, and to increase and restore penile length lost as a result of the disease.

Traction therapy can be implemented using both continuous manual stretching with your hands, as well as penile stretching devices.

Manual stretching involves using your hands to stretch or bend your penis following certain models to reshape it. Generally, manual exercises will try to target the fibrous scar tissue by bending it in the opposite direction of the curvature formed by PD.

Penile traction devices (PTDs) are mechanical devices that use gradual force to hold and stretch the penis in a straight position. The penis is inserted into a frame with the head strapped or held in place at the top, and the penis base held in place at the bottom. PTDs have adjustable rods that can be added to the frame to increase the length and increase the pulling force.

PTDs are typically more effective than manual stretching exercises as they utilize equipment that provides consistency, standardization, and ease of use. Manual stretching treatment is obviously cheaper and could be effective for more mild forms of the disease.

Injection therapy is a widely used nonsurgical approach, in which medication is injected into the scar tissue plaques with the goal of breaking down the fibrous collagen fibers, disrupting the build up of scar tissue, or promoting tissue growth and remodeling.

Collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (Xiaflex) is the most established treatment medication, while verapamil and interferon-alpha 2b are also used for injection therapy.

Surgery is a great treatment option for Peyronie's Disease if the condition has been stable for at least six to twelve months.

Plication surgery is a common surgical treatment option in which the urologist places sutures on the opposite side of the deformed penile curve, to physically straighten it. While this can be an effective treatment option, it can reduce penile length.

Another surgical treatment option is called plaque incision or excision with grafting, in which the doctor cuts or removes part of the plaque and places a graft inside it to restore normal tissue flexibility.

Lastly, men who have a serious case of Peyronie's Disease and experience erectile dysfunction may opt for a penile prosthesis or implant, which can restore penile shape and provide rigidity for sexual intercourse.

Besides medication, traction devices, injection therapy, and surgery, there are wholistic and lifestyle changes that can help treat Peyronie's Disease or support better outcomes for men with the condition.

Seeing a counselor or therapist can always help with the stress, anxiety, and relationship hurdles PD can cause.

Quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, eating a balanced diet, hydrating regularly, and staying active exercising can also help achieve better outcomes with PD and sexual health in general.

When a man starts to notice symptoms of Peyronie's Disease, it can be very physically, emotionally, and psychologically challenging.

The initial stages are especially confusing since you won't be used to the changing deforming penile shape or pain during erections.

Once the disease is settled, and you've gone or are going through treatments, the disease becomes more manageable and most men go on to live full and fulfilling lives and are able to maintain strong, intimate relationships.

Physical changes to a man's penis from Peyronie's Disease can be the most alarming including changes in their erections, penile curvature, discomfort or pain during sexual activity, a reduction in length, or greater shaft inflexibility.

Experimenting with new sexual positions and adjusting sexual approaches might be necessary to minimize pain and perform intercourse in a comfortable and pleasurable way.

Openly communicating with your partner will also help reduce embarrassment and get both people on the same page as you progress further into life with PD.

Traction penile devices as well as vacuum penis pumps can help improve physical confidence that results from Peyronie's Disease.

Men are notorious for bottling up our emotions and keeping thoughts from our partners.

It's important for men to know that feelings of frustration, anxiety, or avoidance, are normal for men experiencing Peyronie's Disease.

Not only talking to your partner, but talking to a therapist, can provide a safe space to vent thoughts and develop good coping strategies.

Support groups and online forums can also shed light on how many men experience PD and will let you know you're not alone.

Many men who experience Peyronie's Disease can still enjoy sex and intimacy with their partners, even if things look and feel slightly different than before.

As we know, a lot of female sexual pleasure and orgasms can result from fingers, hands, the mouth, and psychological approaches.

At the end of the day, Peyronie's Disease is just one condition that many men and people will go through in their lives, that they'll have to learn to adjust and adapt to.

With effective treatment options to reduce symptoms or treat deformities, open communication with partners, and a willingness to stay proactive, you'll be able to enjoy life and intimacy to the fullest and not let the disease take control of your life.

*The information provided in on this website and in this article do not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.