A curved penis can often be corrected, but the right approach depends on what’s causing the curve, how severe it is, and whether it’s still changing. Most noticeable penile curvature in adults is caused by Peyronie’s disease, a condition where scar tissue (called plaque) forms inside the penis and pulls it in one direction during erection. In younger men, the curve is more likely congenital, meaning it developed naturally and has been present since puberty. Treatment ranges from injectable medications and traction devices to surgical correction, with success rates above 90% for the most common procedures.
What’s Causing the Curve
The first step is understanding whether the curvature comes from Peyronie’s disease or is simply the way your penis has always been. A mild curve that’s been present your whole life and doesn’t cause pain or interfere with sex is normal and doesn’t require treatment.
Peyronie’s disease is different. It typically appears in men over 40 and involves a buildup of fibrous scar tissue beneath the skin of the penis. You can often feel this plaque as a flat lump or a band of hard tissue. Symptoms can appear suddenly or develop gradually, and they usually include a bend in the penis during erection, pain, and sometimes difficulty with intercourse. Peyronie’s progresses through two distinct phases: an active phase lasting roughly three to twelve months, during which the plaque is forming and the curvature may worsen, followed by a stable phase where the curve stops changing and the pain typically fades. Erectile dysfunction tends to emerge during this stable phase.
Knowing which phase you’re in matters because most treatments, especially surgery, are only recommended once the disease has stabilized and the curvature hasn’t changed for at least three to six months.
Nonsurgical Options
Injectable Treatment
The only FDA-approved injection for Peyronie’s disease is collagenase clostridium histolyticum (sold as Xiaflex). It works by breaking down the collagen in the scar tissue that causes the bend. It’s approved for men with a palpable plaque and a curvature of at least 30 degrees.
A full treatment course involves up to four cycles, each spaced about six weeks apart. During each cycle, you receive two injections into the plaque (one to three days apart), followed by a modeling procedure where a clinician manually stretches and bends the penis to help break up the softened scar tissue. The process takes several months from start to finish. Xiaflex can meaningfully reduce curvature, though it rarely eliminates it entirely, and there is a small risk of serious side effects including penile fracture.
Traction Devices
Penile traction therapy uses a mechanical device to apply a sustained, gentle stretch to the penis over weeks or months. Research on traction combined with injection therapy found that patients using traction achieved curvature improvements averaging about 34 degrees (a 49% reduction) and gained roughly 1.9 cm in length. Patients who received injections alone saw smaller improvements of about 20 degrees and actually lost a small amount of length. The traction group in that study used the device for less than an hour per day on average, suggesting that consistency over time matters more than marathon daily sessions.
Traction can also be used on its own during the active phase as a way to limit worsening of the curve, and it’s sometimes recommended after surgery to maximize length recovery.
Surgical Correction
Surgery is the most reliable way to straighten a curved penis, but it’s reserved for men whose disease has stabilized and whose curvature is significant enough to impair sexual function. The American Urological Association notes there’s no agreed-upon minimum degree of curvature required. Instead, surgical candidacy is based on stable disease and functional impact. There are three main surgical approaches, and the choice depends on how severe the curve is and whether erectile function is intact.
Plication (Shortening the Long Side)
Plication is the most straightforward option. It works by placing sutures on the longer side of the penis (opposite the plaque) to essentially pinch the tissue and straighten the shaft. It’s best suited for men with moderate curvature who still have good erections.
The results are consistently strong. In a study published in The Journal of Urology, 96% of patients reported curvature improvement after plication, 93% maintained erections adequate for intercourse, and 95% said their overall condition improved. Serious complications were rare: only 6% had bothersome pain at their first follow-up visit, and just 4% needed additional surgery for any reason, including two who needed repeat plication for persistent curvature.
The main tradeoff is some loss of penile length, since the procedure works by making the longer side shorter. The median length loss is about 1.7 cm, with a range of zero to 3 cm. For men with a shorter penis to begin with, this can be a significant consideration.
Grafting (Lengthening the Short Side)
When curvature exceeds 60 degrees, or when the penis is already short and further shortening would be unacceptable, surgeons may recommend a grafting procedure. This involves cutting into or removing the plaque on the concave side and patching the resulting gap with graft material. Grafts can come from processed biological tissue such as pericardium (the sac around the heart) or from synthetic collagen-based materials.
Grafting preserves more length than plication because it extends the shorter side rather than shortening the longer one. It’s also used when there’s a complex deformity like an hourglass shape or a hinge effect (where the penis buckles at the plaque site). The procedure is more involved than plication, requires a longer recovery, and carries a somewhat higher risk of new erectile difficulties after surgery.
Penile Prosthesis
For men who have both Peyronie’s disease and erectile dysfunction that doesn’t respond to medication or vacuum devices, a penile implant may be the best single solution. The prosthesis provides rigidity for intercourse, and the implantation process itself often straightens the penis. In some cases, additional modeling or grafting is performed at the same time. This is the most invasive option but addresses both problems simultaneously.
What to Expect After Treatment
Recovery timelines vary by procedure. Plication patients can typically resume sexual activity within four to six weeks. Grafting procedures generally require a longer healing period, often six to eight weeks or more, and erectile function may take several months to fully return. Prosthesis implantation has a similar recovery window, with most men resuming intercourse around six weeks after surgery.
No treatment guarantees a perfectly straight penis. The goal is functional improvement: reducing the curve enough that sex is comfortable and possible. Most men who undergo surgery or complete a full course of injections report meaningful improvement in both curvature and quality of life. If you’re in the early, active phase of Peyronie’s disease, traction therapy can help limit progression while you wait for the disease to stabilize, putting you in the best position for a definitive fix later.