The bend comes from a patch of scar. The white sleeve around your erection chambers normally heals micro-tears back to smooth. In Peyronie's it lays down stiff, disorganised scar instead. That patch doesn't stretch, so when the chambers fill, its side stays short and the penis bends toward it. Men with Dupuytren's contracture in the hand are roughly five times more likely to get it — the same fibrotic tendency, different body part ¹.

It usually doesn't fix itself. Untreated, curvature worsens in 30–50% of men and improves on its own in only 3–13%; length drops one to two centimetres ². The "wait, it'll pass" advice describes the rare case.

Two treatments have real trial evidence. Collagenase injection (Xiaflex) is the only drug the FDA has ever approved for this ³; in phase-3 trials it cut curvature by about a third, from a mean near 50° ⁴. A take-home traction device worn 30 to 90 minutes a day improved curvature and length, without the hours-long wear older devices needed ⁵. For stable curves, surgery straightens 80–95% of men ⁶.

The real damage is above the belt. Nearly half of men with Peyronie's are clinically depressed by validated criteria, and that rate doesn't fade with time ⁷. The bend is the visible part.

First, find out which phase you're in — it decides everything. Curvature the same for three to six months and no pain means stable; still shifting or still painful means active. A urologist confirms it and measures the angle during a controlled in-office erection.

Caught early, the arc is short. Notice the bend around month two, see a urologist by month three, start traction and pain control. Pain typically fades by month nine, the curvature by month fourteen. If what's left is under 30° and intercourse works, you're done. If it's more, collagenase or surgery corrects most of it. The best realistic outcome is an intercourse-capable penis with mild residual bend and no pain.