Peyronie’s disease is treated with injections, traction therapy, or surgery, depending on how severe the curvature is and whether the condition has stabilized. The right approach also depends on whether you’re still experiencing pain and whether erections are affected. Most treatments aim to reduce curvature, preserve length, and restore sexual function, but timing matters: some options only work during the early inflammatory phase, while surgery is reserved for after the disease has stopped progressing.
The Two Phases Shape Your Treatment Options
Peyronie’s disease moves through two distinct stages, and knowing which one you’re in determines what treatments are on the table. The acute phase lasts between 6 and 12 months. During this period, scar tissue (called plaque) is actively forming beneath the skin of the penis, causing progressive curvature or other shape changes. Pain is common during this phase, both during erections and at rest.
Once the scar tissue stops growing, you’ve entered the chronic phase. The curvature stabilizes, and pain usually fades. However, erectile dysfunction can develop or worsen during this stage. Surgery is only considered once you’ve been in the chronic phase for at least 6 to 12 months with no pain and no further changes in curvature. Jumping to surgery too early risks operating on a moving target.
Treatments That Don’t Work
Before covering what does help, it’s worth knowing what the American Urological Association specifically recommends against. Several oral supplements and medications have been studied and found ineffective for Peyronie’s disease:
- Vitamin E, alone or combined with L-carnitine
- Tamoxifen
- Omega-3 fatty acids
Despite being widely discussed online, none of these have shown meaningful benefit for reducing curvature or plaque size. Radiation therapy is also not recommended. Shockwave therapy is not effective for correcting curvature or shrinking plaque, though it can help manage pain during the acute phase.
Injection Therapy
Injections delivered directly into the scar tissue are the primary non-surgical treatment for Peyronie’s disease. The strongest evidence supports collagenase, an enzyme that breaks down the collagen fibers making up the plaque. It’s recommended for men with stable disease, curvature between 30 and 90 degrees, and erections firm enough for sex (with or without medication). The injections are given in a series, combined with gentle stretching and “modeling” exercises performed by both the clinician and the patient at home.
Two other injectable options carry weaker but supportive evidence. Interferon alpha-2b, which reduces the production of scar tissue, has shown clinically meaningful reductions in curvature in some studies. Verapamil, a calcium channel blocker typically used for blood pressure, is sometimes injected into the plaque as well. It performed reasonably in smaller studies, but a systematic review in European Urology concluded there isn’t robust evidence to strongly support its use. Your urologist may still offer it as an option, particularly if collagenase isn’t available or appropriate.
Traction Therapy
Penile traction devices apply gentle, sustained stretching to counteract curvature and preserve penile length. Older protocols required wearing a device for 3 to 8 hours daily for up to 6 months, which was difficult for most men to sustain. Newer traction systems have shown benefits with just 30 to 90 minutes of daily use over 3 months, based on a randomized controlled trial from Mayo Clinic researchers. Traction is often used alongside injections rather than as a standalone treatment, and it can also be helpful before or after surgery to minimize length loss.
Surgical Options
Surgery is the most effective way to correct curvature, but it’s only appropriate once the disease has fully stabilized. There are three main surgical approaches, and the choice depends on the severity of curvature, penile length, and erectile function.
Plication (Shortening the Longer Side)
Plication works by placing stitches on the side of the penis opposite the plaque, essentially pinching the longer side to match the shorter, curved side. It’s the simplest surgical option with the quickest recovery. In a study of 387 patients, complete straightening was achieved in roughly 88 to 90 percent of cases. The tradeoff is some degree of penile shortening, since you’re correcting by reducing the longer side rather than lengthening the shorter one. This procedure is best suited for men with moderate curvature and adequate erections.
Grafting (Lengthening the Shorter Side)
For more severe curvature or complex deformities, a surgeon can cut into or remove the plaque and patch the area with a graft of tissue. This approach preserves more length than plication but carries higher risks of new erectile difficulties and changes in sensation. It’s typically recommended for men with good erectile function and curvature too severe for plication alone.
Penile Prosthesis
When Peyronie’s disease causes both significant curvature and erectile dysfunction that doesn’t respond to medications or vacuum devices, an inflatable penile prosthesis addresses both problems at once. The device itself helps straighten the penis, and in some cases, additional modeling or grafting is performed during the same procedure. This is the option of last resort but has high satisfaction rates among men who need it.
What Recovery Looks Like After Surgery
Recovery timelines vary by procedure, but plication offers a useful reference since it’s the most common. Most men return to work and normal daily activities within 2 to 3 days. The restrictions that follow are more significant: no sexual activity of any kind, including masturbation, for 6 weeks. Cycling and similar activities that put pressure on the area are off limits for 4 weeks. Swimming, hot tubs, and baths should wait at least 2 weeks.
Surface healing typically takes about 6 weeks, but full internal healing can take several months. During that time, some swelling and bruising is normal. Grafting and prosthesis procedures generally involve longer recovery periods and more follow-up visits, though the same sexual activity restrictions apply. It’s worth noting that plication procedures carry a lower risk of new erectile dysfunction and sensory changes compared to grafting, which is one reason urologists prefer them when the curvature allows it.
Choosing the Right Approach
Treatment decisions for Peyronie’s disease come down to a few key questions: Is the disease still active or has it stabilized? How severe is the curvature? Are erections still functional? Is there significant length loss? During the acute phase, the focus is on managing pain and potentially starting traction or injections to limit progression. Once the disease stabilizes, the full range of options opens up.
Men with mild curvature (under 30 degrees) that doesn’t interfere with sex may not need treatment at all. For curvature between 30 and 90 degrees with good erectile function, injection therapy combined with traction is a reasonable first step. If that doesn’t produce enough improvement, plication or grafting can correct what remains. For men dealing with both curvature and erectile dysfunction, a prosthesis may be the most practical single solution. The path isn’t always linear, and many men use a combination of approaches over time.