Mayo Clinic names six symptoms of Peyronie's disease. NIDDK says the plaque has to stop changing before surgery is on the table.
Peyronie's disease has six recognised symptoms, and surgery is the last option on the list, not the first.
Scar tissue called plaque forms in the elastic layer that keeps the penis stiff during an erection. The plaque pulls on the tissue around it, and the penis bends.
Below are the six symptoms, the two phases that decide what treatment is even possible, and the three beliefs that send men to the wrong place. None of it requires a diagnosis to read.
Six symptoms, and the one that usually shows up first
Mayo Clinic names six symptoms of Peyronie's disease. They can start suddenly or build over time.
A curved erection on its own is not the condition. Mayo says penises vary in shape and size, so a curve is not always a cause for concern. Peyronie's disease is the version that causes a serious bend or pain.
- Scar tissue. Mayo Clinic says the plaque can be felt under the skin as flat lumps or a band of hard tissue, and the area over it may feel tender. It is not the same plaque that builds up in arteries or on teeth.
- A bend. The penis may curve upward, curve downward, or bend to one side. Cleveland Clinic calls the curve the primary symptom.
- Erection problems. Trouble getting or keeping an erection. Mayo says this is often the first thing men notice, before any other penile symptom.
- Shortening. The penis may become shorter during erections. Cleveland Clinic also lists a loss of girth.
- Pain. Pain in the penis, with or without an erection. NIDDK says the pain often decreases over time even when the curve stays.
- Other shape changes. Mayo says the erect penis may look narrow or indented, and can take on an hourglass shape.
None of the six is a reason to panic. NIDDK says the plaque is benign, which means it is not cancer and not a tumour.
What the six are is a reason to get a date on the calendar. The phase you are in changes what a doctor can offer.
Two phases, and why the calendar picks the treatment
NIDDK says Peyronie's disease occurs in two phases, and the boundary between them is measured in months.
In the acute phase the plaque is still forming and the curve is still changing. NIDDK says this phase can last up to 18 months, and pain is most common here.
The chronic phase is the settled one. NIDDK says it usually begins 12 to 18 months after symptoms first appear, and that the plaque and the curve may stabilise and stop getting worse.
That timing is the whole argument for patience. Injections are used in the acute phase, when the plaque is still forming.
Surgery is a chronic phase decision. Operating on a curve that is still moving means operating twice.
Medical experts recommend you do not have surgery until your plaque and penis curving stabilize.
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Cleveland Clinic frames Peyronie's disease as a condition a healthcare provider can diagnose and treat, usually a urologist.
Not every case needs treatment at all. NIDDK says you may not need it if you have small plaques, little or no curve, no pain, no problems with sexual intercourse and no urinary problems.
One treatment is FDA approved. NIDDK says collagenase injections are currently the only FDA approved treatment, and are approved for penises curving more than 30 degrees.
Two other injections are in use. NIDDK names verapamil, which may reduce pain and curving, and interferon alpha 2b, which studies show reduces pain, curving and plaque size.
Traction devices, vacuum devices and shockwave therapy are named by NIDDK as therapies still being studied to see if they work.
Surgery has three shapes: grafting, plication and a penile implant. NIDDK notes plication cannot restore length or girth.
Three Peyronie's beliefs that do not hold
Three ideas cost men either time or money, and each one has a published answer.
A supplement or a diet will fix it. NIDDK says researchers do not know how to prevent Peyronie's disease, and that at this time diet and nutrition have not been found to play a role in preventing it. It also says there are no oral medicines that effectively treat penile curvature.
It will go away if I wait long enough. Mayo Clinic says Peyronie's disease rarely goes away on its own, and that in most people it will stay as it is or get slightly worse early on. NIDDK says it does resolve without treatment in a very few cases, which is not the same as a plan.
Surgery is the obvious answer. NIDDK says treatment depends on how much the penis curves and whether the disease is acute or chronic, and that experts recommend waiting until the plaque and curving stabilise before operating. Mayo says early treatment may keep the condition from getting worse.
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This article is education, not medical advice. NIDDK says men with Peyronie's disease are usually referred to a urologist, and that treatment depends on symptom severity, how much the penis curves, and whether the disease is acute or chronic. Ageless Coach is an affiliate partner and may earn a commission on purchases made through links on this page.