If you’ve been diagnosed with Peyronie’s disease, you may be wondering how best to treat it. The condition occurs when scar tissue forms under the skin of the penis. This scar tissue, called plaque, limits the ability of the tissue to stretch, causing the penis to bend when erect, which can make sex embarrassing, painful, or even impossible, depending on the severity.
The actual numbers of men who have Peyronie’s disease is unclear, but studies show that the number is somewhere between 0.3 and 20.3 percent, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The theory is that the plaque forms as a result of injury or microtrauma to the penis, particularly in men who are genetically predisposed to the disease. The injury can come from procedures such as urethral catheterization, cystoscopy, and transurethral surgery.
“We don’t really know exactly what percent of men have it, because it’s very underreported,” says Petar Bajic, MD, a urologist specializing in male sexual dysfunction and the director of men’s health at the Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute.
The good news is that Peyronie’s disease is highly treatable. “There are a number of very effective treatments out there,” says Dr. Bajic. Although surgery tops the list for correcting penile deformity, certain procedures can carry a small risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) after the operation, according to the University of California in San Francisco.
There are also less invasive options that don’t involve surgery. Could a nonsurgical route be a good way for you to go to treat Peyronie’s disease?
Take this quiz to gauge how you might best ease your symptoms.
