Men’s health is a far-reaching field, addressing physical and mental concerns. At CU Medicine, men’s health experts like Dr. Jeff Morrison are focusing on the physical health of men and how we can better care for major concerns that often go unchecked.

“Peyronie's is a disease that men tend to suffer in silence from,” says Dr. Morrison, “which is why spreading awareness is so important.” 

Only 60% of men get their yearly checkup, and 40% avoid going at all until something is seriously wrong. Especially when it comes to sexual concerns, men are embarrassed or ashamed to seek care.

As a urologist and fellowship-trained men’s health specialist, Dr. Morrison focuses on helping men improve their reproductive and sexual health. In this article, we’ll dive into Peyronie’s disease, an often unknown and untreated condition causing penile curvature.

Peyronie’s Disease

Peyronie’s disease is characterized by development of an abnormal curve or bend in the penis that occurs with erections. The curvature is caused by formation of scar tissue, or plaque, within the penis.

What is it?

Men suffering from Peyronie’s can experience difficulty or inability to have sexual intercourse, erectile dysfunction, loss of penile length, anxiety about sexual performance or appearance of the penis and psychological stress to patient and their partner. Up to 5-10% of men are estimated to suffer from Peyronie’s disease with symptoms most commonly beginning in middle age. Peyronie’s can often be found alongside Dupuytren’s contracture of the hand and Ledderhose disease of the foot.

Peyronie’s is divided into two stages: the “acute” stage and the “chronic” stage. The acute stage is when the penile scar tissue is actively forming and is often associated with painful erections. In the chronic stage, the pain resolves but the curvature persists. While most treatments are aimed at the chronic phase, there are some strategies that may slow progression of curvature earlier on, which is why it’s important to see a urologist if you begin developing symptoms.

Treatment Options

Men often are unwilling to seek treatment for Peyronie’s and other erectile concerns due to embarrassment or fears that they can’t be helped—but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

There are several treatment routes available for managing Peyronie’s. Non-surgically, XIAFLEX® injections represent a minimally-invasive option for men. With XIAFLEX, the patient undergoes a series of several injections spread out over several months. The injections contain an enzyme called collagenase that is specifically designed to treat the Peyronie’s scar tissue.

Surgically, penile plication, plaque excision and grafting (PEG), and penile implants are all proven surgical treatment options for Peyronie’s Disease.

Penile plication involves placement of small sutures into the sheath, or tunica albuginea, of the penis to correct for the curvature.

Plaque excision and grafting (PEG) is an advanced procedure to remove the bothersome penile scar tissue from the penis to improve curvature. This reconstructive technique necessitates placement of special graft tissue in place of the prior scar tissue.

Lastly, penile implants are an excellent option for patients suffering from both Peyronie’s disease as well as erectile dysfunction (ED). The most common type of implant is called the inflatable penile implant (IPP), which can be cycled between both flaccid and erect states on demand, and represents a permanent cure for both Peyronie’s and ED. 

Peyronie’s disease is not well-known and often leads to significant psychological distress for patients and their partners—but it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Early intervention, personalized treatments, and a better understanding of Peyronie’s can all help to alleviate the anxiety that comes from impaired sexual function. You don’t have to suffer alone; seek treatment today.