There are various approaches to treating Peyronie's disease, also known as IPP:
In the past, most of the above-mentioned therapeutic approaches to treating pathological hardening of the penis have not been crowned with great success. Orthopaedic penis extenders or penis extenders, such as PHALLOSAN forte, have proven to be a promising treatment method for IPP. Several remarkable case studies have now been published on this. Stretch belt systems, such as PHALLOSAN forte, have been used for therapeutic purposes or at least as adjunctive therapy in hundreds of patients with IPP, thus reducing the curvature and hardening of the penis. Below you can find out more about the disease induration penis plastica, which leads to a pathological hardening and curvature of the penis and is often associated with a high level of pain.
Peyronie's disease or induration penis plastica is characterized by a usually painful hardening of the penile tissue with an accompanying curvature of the penis, which is clearly visible with every erection. The culprit is a pathological formation of scar tissue, also known as plaque. The cause of penile hardening often remains unexplained, partly because patients usually only recognize the problem at a late stage (when the curvature of the penis becomes clearly visible). It is not uncommon for IPP to only become apparent by chance during a visit to the doctor. The disease usually first appears between the ages of 40 and 60. Many men take it as normal and say to themselves: "That's just the shape of my penis. The increasing hardening and curvature of the penis progresses so slowly over the years that it is not perceived as an aggravation. The cause is thought to be injuries to the erectile tissue, which are not noticed by the patient and are subsequently not treated, heal poorly and ultimately scar. Genetic factors are another possible cause, but research is still in its infancy. Incidentally, even if the influence of environmental factors is not fully understood, smokers still have a much higher risk of developing IPP. The hardening of the penis also gradually worsens over time because the plaque repeatedly tears at the transition to healthy tissue due to external influences (e.g. sexual intercourse) and increases in size due to further scarring.
The most obvious consequence of IPP - the curvature and hardening of the penis - is by no means just a visual blemish. Depending on the course of the scar tissue, it can also lead to constrictions on the penis shaft. The hardening of the penis often causes patients pain during erection. This can lead to less sexual pleasure, sometimes even to erectile dysfunction. This is often accompanied by personal and psychological problems that can escalate into depression.
As surgery and medication often do not produce satisfactory results in the treatment of penile hardening, many urologists are pursuing an alternative therapeutic approach with mechanical penis straightening. In one study, for example, 21 out of 31 test subjects were able to achieve straightening and pain relief with vacuum pumps.
Penis extenders such as the PHALLOSAN forte stretch belt have also proven successful, as shown in a 2003 publication in the specialist journal "Ärztliche Praxis Urologie Nephrologie". A patient with severe IPP was instructed by his doctors to put the belt system on for two to three hours a day and thus exert a slight pull on the penis using weights. The result: after just three months, a partial (and clearly visible) straightening was achieved. The hardening of the penis was treated to such an extent that he was able to have sex again. After a further six months, the result was extremely satisfactory for the patient. Two years later, the positive effect continued, although he only used the belt sporadically. Incidentally, there were no side effects.
