Sit down… we need to talk. A friend told me about a problem he’s having, in hopes I’d share it with my members, since it’s an important guy issue. I never heard of it, and according to his doctor, it’s because no one really talks about it. The problem is called Peyronie’s Disease.
It’s nothing new, but because we’re becoming more open about our health, more men are seeking treatment, and the medical profession now says 10% of all men are affected by Peyronie’s. That’s a lot, so learning about it and recognizing the early symptoms may prevent a serious problem later in life.
Peyronies is curvature of the penis caused by scarring that happens in the shaft of the penis under the skin. To understand it better, picture a balloon that has a small piece of scotch tape on it. When it gets blown up, the balloon pinches at the spot where the tape is; causing it to misshape. The tape represents a scar. Often referred to as plague, scarring can be a result of an injury to the penis, or can be inherited through genetics. Often, it runs in families, so fathers can pass it onto their sons, etc. Injuries can be caused from being hit in the penis by a ball or by some other trauma, but is most often due to injury during sex. Yes, gentlemen, all that rough play can come back to haunt us! By injury, I’m not necessarily talking about anything noticeable or memorable, but simply microscopic tears that scar up over time. Severely bending the penis during sex, referred to as “fracture”, can create tears, and is another common way the penis often gets injured. Unfortunately, men who have had certain surgeries or radiation for prostate cancer are at greater risk of developing peyronies.
Symptoms usually don’t start showing up until between the ages of 40 and 60. Besides a bend in an erect penis (which is usually the location of the scar tissue), a hard spot (scar) can often be felt in both a flaccid or erect penis. The penis normally narrows and shortens, and can become crooked, as well. Often, erections are painful, and once the problem has progressed, there’s usually difficulty and pain with penetration during intercourse. It has the potential of preventing intercourse all together, since the bend can actually progress to a 90 degree angle or worse. Man, that hurts just thinking about it! However, not all cases get anywhere near that bad, so don’t stress or panic.
There are several Peyronie’s treatments available, but none which are guaranteed, and, unfortunately, have low success rates. For those who don’t respond to treatment, surgery is a possibility if the bend is preventing intercourse, but that doesn’t come without possible side effects like impotency. But don’t despair; there are remedies for that, too – a penile prosthesis (that’s a whole other article) and erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra. However, the erectile drugs don’t always work because the blood vessels are often damaged during surgery; compromising blood flow.
There’s another surgery that if you’re a candidate can be performed. The surgeon can place several stitches in the penis to counteract the bend. So, if the penis bends towards you, stitches can be put in on the opposing underside, or anywhere necessary to straighten the penis out. The stitches are placed under the skin and aren’t noticeable or painful. This, too, isn’t something available for every case, but it is an option.
Since the typical Peyronies pattern is it gets worse to a point and then stabilizes, no surgery, and even certain treatments, are an option until the Peyronie’s stops progressing. Waiting can’t be easy, but seems to be necessary.
So, why am I telling you about Peyronies Disease, since so many of you are younger than 40? Because early intervention and treatment are critical, and may help avoid a full blown out case. At the first sign of penis curvature, no matter what age you are, or how insignificant a bend – get to your doctor! Urologists are the docs that treat Peyronies, and you might want to find one who has a lot of experience treating it, and who is current on up-to-date treatments. Diagnosis is made after a physical exam of the scar, and evaluation of an erection. Some doctors will forego the erection inspection if they can see a picture of it, but most will inject medication into the penis through a very fine needle, which causes an erection. So, I wonder why men are reluctant to talk about Peyronie’s?! I was told the injection isn’t bad at all. Ok, back to treatment… Early treatment consists of taking Viagra or another erectile dysfunction drug, which brings blood flow to the penis and a maxed out erection that helps to stretch the scar. I’m not sure how frequently the erection medication is taken, but often. This is one treatment both you and your partner just might enjoy!
Seriously, if you feel hard tissue along the shaft of your penis, have a curvature going on, or if it ever happens, see a doctor as soon as possible. Ignoring it or being too embarrassed to see a doctor will only bring bigger problems later. We need to take care of ourselves, no matter what the issue is. I decided to write this article about Peyronies in order to bring this topic out of the dark, where it needs to be. Take care of yourself, gentlemen… we only have one penis!
by Aaron Marino
