Pictures of Peyronie’s disease

    For someone wanting to understand this particular problem there is nothing like seeing pictures of Peyronie’s disease .   For most people who have heard about Peyronie’s disease and the infamous fibrous scar tissue that develops within the substance of the penile shaft, it is still difficult to comprehend how such a great degree of distortion can result from a small flap of fibrous tissue.

    Understandably, in the early stages of PD men with this affliction are very worried about small – and sometimes large – changes in their penis. They often use the Internet for information about their concerns, and want to see a few pictures of Peyronie’s disease for comparison or just to see how bad the curve can become.

    Pictures of Peyronie’s disease can be shocking.  The many graphic and detailed pictures found on the Peyronie’s Disease Institute website are presented for educational purposes to anyone interested in this disease.  They are not intended to assist in making a diagnosis of PD.  They are offered to encourage anyone who thinks he might have this condition to seek prompt medical attention and a doctor’s opinion about your problem. Hopefully, after viewing these pictures you will feel perhaps relieved you are not so bad off if you find a penis that is bent greater than yours.

    In some extreme cases the scar may create a bottle-neck, collar-like, or hourglass-like distortion of the erect penis. The scar tissue may cause the penis to be limp or soft beyond the location of the nodule, leading to inability to have sexual intercourse. At the extreme, an erect penis may be so distorted (“J” or “corkscrew”) making intercourse impossible or at least extremely painful for both partners. 

    Before looking at these pictures of Peyronie’s disease, let's briefly discuss the mechanism causing these penile distortions. 
 
    Peyronie’s disease has been called an exaggeration of the wound healing process, during which one or more flat and irregular non-cancerous plaques or fibrous scars develop under the skin along the penile shaft.  Not only do these scars frequently cause pain during erection, but depending on the number, size and location of scar tissue, the penis can be slightly to severely distorted or shortened during erection, or not at all.

    Here is how the distortion occurs: Imagine a balloon with a small piece of tape on it. If the balloon is inflated the tape will prevent full expansion, and it will be distorted. PD causes a similar mechanism of distortion in the penis. The normal penis expands and elongates evenly resulting in a straight erection. But in Peyronie's disease, normal elastic tissue is replaced by rather hard plaque tissue that is not elastic. When a man with Peyronie's has an erection the plaque does not expand, thus the curve or twist.

    Cases of PD range from mild to severe; some are so mild as to be detected only on autopsy, while others are so severe that surgery is necessary to reduce painful distortion. The scar may range from a few millimeters or may encompass the entire shaft of the penis. Pain, hardened scar formation and/or distortion may develop slowly or appear overnight in PD.

    Angulation of the erect penis from 5°- 45° is not uncommon, and can be greater; deformities can advance beyond 90º and are described as “J”, “cane handle” and “corkscrew”. Distortion or angulation of the non-erect penis is rare. In a small percentage of cases with a milder form of the disease, inflammation may resolve without causing significant pain or permanent bending. Sexual difficulty and impotency also range from mild to severe, depending on the degree of deformity. 

    In some extreme cases the scar may create a bottle-neck, collar-like, or hourglass-like distortion of the erect penis. The scar tissue may cause the penis to be limp or soft beyond the location of the nodule, leading to inability to have sexual intercourse. At the extreme, an erect penis may be so distorted (“J” or “corkscrew”) making intercourse impossible or at least extremely painful for both partners.

    Hopefully, the pictures of Peyronie’s disease presented for your education will be helpful to understand your problem. Perhaps they can motivate you see your medical doctor, and then get busy with aggressive use of multiple PD therapy methods to improve your chances for self-recovery.