A quarter of all men suffer from Peyronie’s Disease, a condition wherein the penis has an extreme, usually, 30 percent or greater, bend. The cause of the disease is largely unknown but medical professionals suggest it can develop over time due to injuries to the penis, both major and minor. Those traumas can cause bleeding which can lead to scar tissue formation and build up; however, this is not always the case. Over time, a man may notice a curve in his penis becoming more dramatic, frequently leading to pain when urinating and getting and maintaining an erection. Having bent penis can also lead to erectile dysfunction and anxiety. The good news is there are some treatments out there to help men with Peyronie’s Disease or men who just have an extreme bend in their penis regain function and decrease discomfort.
Bent Penis Treatments
While there’s no cure for Peyronie’s Disease, it is treatable. Less severe cases can even go away on their own. In fact, many doctors employ a “wait and see” approach at first. If things aren’t remedying themselves, however, there are many options available.
1) Lifestyle Changes – Some adjustments to lifestyle have been shown to reduce the risk of erectile dysfunction related to Peyronie’s Disease. Reduction or abolishment of alcohol, non-prescription medications, and smoking help lessen the effects of the disease. Exercising daily for 30 or more minutes has also shown to help blood flow to the penis.
2) Medication – Often times, these drugs are, gulp, injected into the penis. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved one drug to treat the condition so far and it’s called Xiaflex (fancy Chemistry name: clostridium histolyticum). This drug is only recommended for men whose penis have a bend of 30% or greater. This treatment is given over time as a series of penile injections which break down the collagen (scar tissue) causing the bend. Other medications that commonly prescribed are verapamil which is an oral medication used to treat blood pressure and interferon, an injection that works similarly to Xiaflex.
Note: For men using Xiaflex, there is a six-week physical therapy program that works in conjunction with the treatment. Each day men should:
– Stretch the penis while not erect. This should be done three times daily for 30 seconds per stretch.
– Straighten the penis when experiencing an unprompted erection unrelated to sexual activity for 30 seconds once per day.
3) Non-Surgical Bent Penis Treatments – There are several non-surgical options men have to treat a bent penis. A technique gaining popularity is Iontophoresis, which weak electrical current to deliver special medication through the skin. Other options are also being explored such as shock wave therapy to break up scar tissue, stretching the penis through penile traction therapy, and various vacuum-like devices to also stretch the penis.
4) Surgery – Only for the more severe cases, surgery is a bent penis treatment for men who have been diagnosed with severe Peyronie’s Disease or penis deformity for a year or more. Surgery can include penile implants, shortening the side opposite the bend, or lengthening the side of the bend. Lengthening runs a greater risk of causing erectile dysfunction, while shortening can create a straighter penis but it will be shorter which is undesirable for some men.
5) Natural Remedies – Sadly, there aren’t many natural remedies that have been studied as bent penis treatment options. However, there was one promising study from 2001 which found that l-carnitine was a safe and effective option for acute and early chronic Peyronie’s Disease, performing better than tamoxifen.
L-Carnitine can be found in a penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which has been clinically proven safe and mild for skin) and can be applied topically to the penis. Nutrient creams like this deliver key amino acids and vitamins essential to good penis health and help with issues such as nerve damage, cellular activity, and overall penis health and flexibility.
While research continues into what causes Peyronie’s Disease and how to remedy it, men who suffer from the condition should continue to educate themselves on their options and staying current on penile health topics in general. This will help both in and out of the bedroom.
