Peyronie’s Disease

Peyronie's Disease affects the tough layer of connective tissue, the Tunica Albuginea, that surrounds the soft tissue of the Corpora Cavernosa. While its causes are unknown, we do know that Peyronie's Disease causes scar tissue, or plaque, to grow within the Tunica Albuginea, leaving the erect penis with a permanent bend or curve, and often causes the flaccid penis to slightly shorten.

Many men report some pain at the onset of Peyronie's Disease, especially during erection. However, after some time this pain tends to go away on its own. And while this relieves Peyronie's sufferers of worries about using pain killers or enduring pain in the long term, it does leave them with an often increasing curvature of the penis. While most men who have Peyronie's Disease are able to have normal sex despite the penile curvature, the complications Peyronie's brings increase as the angle of the curvature changes-- sometimes even reaching 90 degrees.

Treatments for Peyronie's Disease

Peyronie's can affect men of any age or walk of life, but the most common sufferers are Caucasian men in the 40's or over. While it is not contagious or a sign or any life-threatening or debilitating disease (such as cancer, etc.), severe cases of Peyronie's disease can have a large lifestyle effect, making sex anywhere from complicated to impossible. For this reason, many men look for a cure.

Surgery is probably the most common and highly recommended treatment for this disease today, as it is the most effective way to combat severe curvature, and for a long time was the only treatment available. However, surgery is also the most extreme and invasive choice you can make. Below, the three most popular surgical treatments for Peyronie's disease are described.

One common surgical method is the use of tissue grafts. This is often used in more severe cases of Peyronie's, where there is a large amount of plaque or a particularly severe curvature of the penis. With this method, the plaque or scar tissue is surgically removed, and the penis straightened to reduce or remove curvature.



Another popular surgical method is the use of penile implants. These implants, in the form of plastic tubes, are either solid or inflatable, and are inserted in Corpora Cavernosa. They are either simply placed inside the organ in order to straighten the penis themselves, or, to increase the patient's chance of correcting the curvature, are placed inside the penis after it has been straightened.

Of the three surgical methods described here, the most widely used is the Nesbit Procedure. During this surgical procedure, the organ is filled with a solution of sterile physiologic salt. This creates a false erection, allowing the surgeon to use a clamp to gather the tissue on the outer side of the penile bend, making the Tunica Albuginea straighten the penis.

Though in the past surgery was almost the only option available for Peyronie's sufferers, many discoveries have been made in recent years, allowing many men to correct the curvature of the penis with non-invasive methods. One of these is the use of Collagenase injections, which will break down and remove the scar tissue. Another injection used is Verapamil, which will help prevent new plaque from forming.

Another popular method for treating Peyronie's Disease is the use of Vitamin E. An age-old method, Vitamin E has been used to treat this disease since the 1940's. Helping to heal the skin and reduce the build up of hardened tissue, Vitamin E's skin healing properties have been found to be helpful to many Peyronie's sufferers. Another popular treatment is the use of Potassium amino benzoate, which goes by the name of Potaba. Studies have shown that Potaba can provide some improvement to Peyronie's sufferers, though it is not yet clear to what extent Potaba will effect the curvature of the penis.

Finally, one of the best and most popular ways to deal with Peyronie's Disease is to use a penis stretcher to straighten the bend in the penis. Despite the fact that there is controversy surrounding this particular treatment method, it's important to note that the use of penis stretchers has been proven effective in clinical trials. Acting by making penile tissue expand rather than retract (the retraction of tissue increases curvature), traction devices help to both straighten out the penis and even increase penis size. In clinical trials, the men who participated saw both a reduction in the curvature of the penis as well as a possible penis enlargement with regular use of a penis stretcher.

Peyronie's Disease is a rare penile condition that affects the tissue of the penis. In spite of extensive research being done, the cause of this disease has not been discovered. While Peyronie's Disease affects men of all walks of life, the most common sufferers of this sexual disorder are Caucasian men aged forty and up.

What, exactly happens inside the penis of a Peyronie's sufferer? The tough layer of connective tissue surrounding the soft Corpora Cavernosa is called the Tunica Albuginea. Peyronie's Disease affects this tissue, forming scar tissue (plaque) in the Tunica Albuginea. This prevents the penis from expanding normally during an erection and after time will create a permanent change in the penis-- bending it to one side or the other.

For many men, Peyronie's disease can be a bit painful first, but generally the pain fades away with time. With Peyronie's Disease, there's no need to turn to pain killers or fear their long term effects, as the pain will go away on its own. What you will be left with, however, is the curvature of the penis, and a possible shortening of the penis when it is in its flaccid state. While the bend in the penis is quite visible when the penis is erect, most men are still able to have sex with their partner without any pain. However, as the angle of the bend becomes more pronounced and nears 90 degrees, the act of intercourse itself becomes more and more difficult.

Fortunately for its sufferers, Peyronie's disease is neither contagious or a precursor to other diseases or serious conditions, such as cancer. The only true problem experienced by most Peyronie's sufferers is the bend of the penis and difficulty with intercourse. But this, of course, is a huge issue for many men, and most Peyronie's sufferers look for a cure. While no one treatment has been proven the best way to combat Peyronie's Disease, there are several methods used today that help many of its sufferers.

Surgery: Three Methods

The most severe cases of Peyronie's Disease are almost always treated with surgery, making surgery one of the most highly recommended treatments for this disease. In one surgical process, penile implants are surgically implanted in the penis. These implants consist of plastic cylinders, which come in both solid and inflatable form. The surgeon may choose either to simply implant the tube and let it straighten the penis out on its own, or bend the penis beforehand, giving the patient and improved chance of correcting the curvature.

Another of the most widespread surgical treatments for Peyronie's Disease is the use of tissue grafts. With this method, the lump of plaque (or scar tissue) will be surgically removed, and the penis straightened to bring it back to its normal shape. This method is usually advised for patients with large plaques or penises which are severely bent.

Among the surgical options for Peyronie's sufferers, the most widely used method is the Nesbit Procedure. During the Nesbit Procedure, the penis will be filled with a sterile physiologic salt solution. This causes an artificial erection, during with the surgeon will use a clamp to gather the outside part of the bend. This will force the Tunica Albuginea to straighten the penis.

Injections and Supplements

In the past, surgery was practically the only known option for treating Peyronie's Disease. But in recent years, a variety of other options have been developed. One of these is the use of Collagenase injections, which will break down and remove the scar tissue. Another injection used is Verapamil, which will help prevent new plaque from forming.

One of the most popular non-invasive treatments is the use of Vitamin E, which will help the skin to heal and reduce the plaque in the Tunica Albuginea. This treatment has been used since the 1940's, as the skin healing properties of Vitamin E have been known for quite some time. Another treatment often used to help Peyronie's sufferers is Potassium aminobenzoate, or Potaba. But while some studies have shown that Potaba can, to a certain extent, help Peyronie's sufferers, it's not yet clear how effective Potaba truly is.

Penis Extenders

One of the best ways to deal with and treat Peyronie's Disease is the use of a penis extender. Though there has been some controversy surrounding the use of penis extenders or other alternative approaches, clinical studies have shown that, when used on a regular basis, a penis extender can reduce the curvature of the penis, as well as maintain or even increase the size of the penis. Penis extenders work by forcing the tissue to expand-- this keeps it from retracting and increasing the curvature.

As penis extenders are a private, non-invasive way to treat Peyronie's Disease, as well as provide the benefit of a possible increase in penis size, they are a very popular and successful choice for Peyronie's suffers everywhere.