Are You Having Trouble With a Curve? Peyronie’s Disease Could Be the Reason
What Is Peyronie’s Disease?
Peyronie’s disease is a condition where scar tissue builds up under the skin of the penis, in the elastic membrane called the tunica albuginea, causing a curvature. This scar tissue is referred to as “plaque,” however it should not be confused with the type of plaque that can build up in your arteries.
Peyronie’s disease has two phases: acute and chronic. The acute phase can last from 2 weeks to up to a year. This phase is defined by the process of plaque formation, causing pain and an increasing curvature of the penis. The chronic phase marks the period in development in the disease where the penis has reached the height of its curvature. Depending on the severity of the curve to the penis and the amount of scar tissue present, the curvature can often be painful, can cause varying levels of erectile dysfunction, and can make intercourse painful for both partners.
How Do You Get Peyronie’s Disease?
Peyronie’s is often caused by a severe injury to the penis or by ongoing micro-injuries to the penis, due to sports activity, sexual activity, or trauma. The location of the injury of the penis may be recognizable by a nodule of scar tissue that has formed and/or the start of a curvature. This curvature is caused by the build-up of scar tissue that causes a band-like formation that not only can cause a painful curvature to the penis, but also a distinct “hour-glass” shape. This band of scar tissue can also lead to erectile dysfunction by preventing the penis from stretching when attempting to get an erection.
While in many cases, Peyronie’s disease can be caused by injury or trauma to the penis, Peyronie’s can also be hereditary, can be caused by age factors, connective tissue disorders, or other health complications such as diabetes or treatment for prostate cancer.
What Are the Symptoms of Peyronie’s Disease?
The most common symptom of Peyronie’s disease is the curvature in the penis. However, there are other symptoms to look out for as well:
- Curvature /bend/ deformity of the penis caused by a build-up of scar tissue
- Penile shortening
- Erectile dysfunction
- Pain in the penile area with or without an erection
Aside from physical side-effects, a curvature in the penis can also cause anxiety, severe loss of confidence in the bedroom, and effect romantic relationships.
How Do You Get Diagnosed?
For many cases, a simple physical exam is all that is needed to diagnose Peyronie’s disease. In some cases, if the physical deformity is not extreme, an ultrasound may be recommended to calculate the severity.
How Common Is Peyronie’s Disease?
5 – 10% of men in the United States have Peyronie’s disease. However, since many men have reported symptoms of Peyronie’s, but have not been diagnosed, that number could be a lot higher.
Does Peyronie’s Disease Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
Almost 80% of men with Peyronie’s disease will suffer from some degree of erectile dysfunction.
Should I Use Oral Ed Medications If I Have Peyronie’s?
Oral ED treatments are generally not recommended for men with Peyronie’s disease. This is because oral ED medications increase blood flow to the penis to help achieve an erection, but since oral ED medications do not affect or treat the scar tissue causing the curvature to the penis, the result can often be a painful erection.
Can Peyronie’s Disease Heal Itself?
Extremely mild cases of Peyronie’s may go away after 6 – 15 months, however, this is rare and not common for most cases.
What Are My Treatment Options for Peyronie’s Disease?
Currently, the only FDA approved medicine for Peyronie’s is Collagenase (Xiaflex) that may help break down collagen in the area of the curvature. This option recommends that “modeling” be done as a supplementary treatment, which involves bending the penis in the opposite direction of the curvature. Other options include Verapamil, a high blood pressure medication that can potentially help break down collagen, and Interferon that has been found to help break down fibrous tissue.
Surgery is an option for men with extreme cases of Peyronie’s disease. If you have Peyronie’s disease, it is recommended that you wait until the chronic phase of your disease, when the curvature has stopped increasing for a least 3 months.
Surgery options are:
- For less severe cases, this type of surgery involves plicating the unaffected side of the penis.
- This type of surgery is recommended for men with more extreme curvatures. Cuts are made to the scar tissue, then tissue is grafted to cover the holes in the elastic membrane of the penis. This can help the curvature but may cause a worsening of erectile dysfunction.
- Additional surgeries may be recommended for the curvature of the penis itself, but an implant or pump can be surgically placed to help with erectile dysfunction.
A Clinically Proven, Non-Invasive Treatment for Peyronie’s Disease
Due to possible complications, downtime, and future side-effects, surgery should always be your last resort.
The GAINSWave® therapy offered at HEALTHWave Physicians Institute has been clinically proven to help treat the curvature of the penis caused by Peyronie’s disease by painlessly breaking through scar tissue by effectively using low-frequency acoustic waves. For decades, this treatment, also known as extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT), has helped men treat both the curvature caused by Peyronie’s disease and erectile dysfunction.
The GAINSWave® treatment is a simple, in-office procedure that offers long-lasting results. Not only does the treatment reduce scar tissue formation caused by Peyronie’s disease, but it can enhance your erections and improve your sexual performance.
The Benefits of Gainswave® Treatment May Include:
- Reduced scar tissue and curvature of the penis
- Stronger, longer-lasting erections
- Increased girth
- Better orgasms
GAINSWave® therapy is a simple, 20-minute in-office treatment. There is no downtime, no side-effects and it is non-invasive. 6-12 treatments are recommended for Peyronie’s disease depending on the severity of the curvature.
Don’t let Peyronie’s disease keep you from having a happy, healthy sex life. Regain your confidence today with this incredible treatment that has helped so many men.
Call us for a phone consultation and to schedule your first treatment.
HEALTHWave Patient Testimonial for Peyronie’s disease:
“Well, when I first came in – major performance issues and erectile dysfunction due to the Peyronie’s disease and – as far as I would consider age, blood flow, whatever. Since my treatments and this being my last treatment and everything… it is larger than it ever has been in my life. Before I started treatment, even with an erection, I would still have loose skin on the erection. There is no loose skin anymore on an erection. The erections are full now. Peyronie’s disease has been, in my opinion, completely cured. I don’t have any problems with that anymore, and the performance issues have dissipated also.”
DENNIS, HEALTHWAVE PATIENT
