What Is Peyronie's Disease?

The blood vessels of the penis become clogged up with fibrous plaque, which restricts the penis from expanding on the afflicted side. This causes it to bend, indent or create an hourglass shape when erect.

Peyronie's Disease can affect men of all ages. It can be caused by different traumas ranging from over-vigorous sex, a sports injury, or conditions like diabetes. Any of these can cause fibrous plaque to build up in blood vessels and penile tissue, restricting one side of the penis from expanding when erect. As a result, the penis curves upwards, downwards, sideways and occasionally around the circumference.

Peyronie’s disease can be caused by minor injury to the penis. This injury is often caused by vigorous sexual intercourse, for example, bending the penis during penetration or from undue pressure from your partner’s pubic bone.

It can also be caused by sports injuries, such as a ball hitting the penis or otherwise what appear initially as minor accidents such as being kicked by a child. The injury can then cause scar tissue to develop in the cells of the penis. This scar tissue then forms what is known as the plaque of Peyronie’s disease – a hard lump on the erection tissue.

There are other reasons for Peyronie’s disease plaques formation. Health related issues, such as high blood sugar, tobacco use, or historic pelvic trauma may help cause Peyronie’s disease.

Additionally, men with connective tissue disorders, such as Dupuytren’s contracture, may suffer from it. While there can also be a genetic link where men who have a family member who suffers with Peyronie’s disease have an increased likelihood of getting it.

The sooner that someone with, or who suspects they have Peyronie’s disease, sees a Men’s health specialist, the better the chances for a good outcome.

Here are some potential signs of Peyronie’s disease that you should seek advice about:

• The penis curves when erect
• There is a shortening of the penis
• Narrowing or “hourglass” on the shaft of the penis
• Lumps in the penis
• Painful erections or pain during sex
• Unexpected soft erections

A physical exam by a doctor or other consultant is often sufficient to identify the presence of scar tissue in the penis, allowing the diagnosis of Peyronie’s disease. On occasion, other conditions cause similar symptoms and these need to be ruled out.

During a physical exam, a doctor will investigate the penis through palpation and observation when it’s not erect. This is so that the location and amount of scar tissue can be found. The doctor might also measure the length of your penis. This initial measurement helps determine whether the penis has shortened if the condition continues to worsen.

Peyronie’s disease is a condition that results from fibrous scar tissue developing on the penis. It causes a curved bend in the penis that can be significant. This bend can often cause painful erections especially during sexual intercourse.

Peyronie’s disease mostly affects men aged over 40, although it can happen at any age. It can also be started following vigorous sexual intercourse (read How do you get Peyronie’s Disease?).

When you get Peyronie’s disease, plaques (segments of flat scar tissue), form beneath the skin of the penis and it is these that cause it to bend or become indented during erections. The plaque (scar tissues) can develop anywhere along the penis and can often be felt through the skin and be painful when touched.

In severe cases, the curve in the penis can make having sexual intercourse painful, difficult, or even impossible.

Peyronie’s disease may also lead to erectile dysfunction with difficulty in getting and/or maintaining an erection.

It is extremely rare for Peyronie’s disease to go away on its own. For the vast majority of men, the condition will remain as is or worsen in stages over a period of time.

Early treatment soon after developing the condition can keep it from getting worse and if using Shockwave therapy alleviate the condition. Even if you’ve had the condition for some time, this treatment can help improve symptoms in the majority of cases. Contact us for further details and confidential consultations.

You will need to provide us with your medical history and full details of any medication you are currently taking, so we can ensure you are a candidate for shockwave therapy.

You should also remove excess hair from the penile regions and ensure good hygiene before the visit.

Peyronie’s disease (PD) is named after French surgeon François Gigot de la Peyronie, who described the condition in 1743. He described a patient who had “rosary beads of scar tissue to cause an upward curvature of the penis during erection.”

 PD is indicated by a curvature in the penile shaft that is often preceded by painful erections and accompanied by an area of fibrosis.

The condition was first described in 1561 in correspondence between Andreas Vesalius a Flemish anatomist, physician, and author of one of the most influential books on human anatomy, De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem (On the Fabric of the Human Body) and Gabriele Falloppio, an Italian Catholic priest and anatomist often known by his Latin name Fallopius. The Fallopian Tube is named after him.

Read more about The History of Peyronie’s Disease.

As outlined in our Peyronie’s Disease Treatment Option page, Shockwave therapy for Peyronie’s disease is the only non-invasive treatment that provides long lasting results without the need for going under the knife or injection therapy.

Unless you have a pre-existing condition like haemophilia you will not experience any marks or bruising during or after your treatment.

You may experience mild discomfort, but nothing worse than a moderate visit to the dentist.

Whilst the majority of patients experience improvements after the initial programme of treatment, Peyronie’s Disease can be a very stubborn condition and in some instances is resistant to all non-invasive treatments and non-surgical treatments.

We can only treat men over the age of 18-years. After that, we have successfully treated men well into their 70's.