Men’s sexual health is an important topic. Today, millions of men are impacted by erectile dysfunction (ED) or Peyronie’s disease (PD). In fact, studies have shown that at least 1 in 10 men suffer from ED in the United States, and this number has been reported to increase to up to 75% of men with age. Peyronie’s disease, or acquired curvature of the penis, is also a common issue affecting up to 9% of men. Ageless Skin and Laser is excited to be able to offer a new, safe, and non-invasive treatment for these common conditions. 

Low-Intensity Shockwave Therapy (LiSWT) is a non-invasive and non-surgical treatment that helps to improve blood flow in the penis for overall better erection strength and quality. This same technology can be considered with certain Peyronie’s symptoms as well, most specifically, pain-related complaints.

Evaluating Male Erectile Dysfunction

To evaluate the cause of erectile dysfunction, we start with a complete medical history to look at all the risk factors and from there we evaluate all the treatment options. Most of the therapies are aimed at increasing blood flow down to the penis. Because the blood flow is what causes an erection. Many people are familiar with the medications that are available and those are often considered first as a therapy, but as technology has evolved, there are new therapies as well. One of them is low-intensity shockwave therapy.

Low Intensity Shockwave therapy is considered a safe, non-invasive, and low-risk treatment. Shockwave therapy has been around for decades and has long been used as a treatment option for kidney stones or breaking up scar tissue in the body and promoting healing. Today it is being successfully used to treat conditions such as erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s Disease, and sometimes male or female pelvic pain. It offers the following benefits:

• Non-invasive
• No anesthesia or numbing creams needed
• No side effects
• Same day procedure
• Long lasting

While “shockwave” on the surface may sound unpleasant or uncomfortable it is generally considered a comfortable procedure that is well tolerated by patients. It applies short, frequent, and high intensity bursts of energy (in the form of an ultrasonic shockwave) into soft tissue that is injured, scarred, or contains adhesions. The goal is to get the body to heal itself by regenerating blood vessels and improving circulation. The increased circulation allows for the natural engorgement of blood to the penis, which is necessary for a sustained erection.

What Can I Expect?

We start by applying some ultrasound gel to the area, and then the probe is applied to the area of treatment. The applicator produces pulses as the clinician moves around the treatment area.You will hear a clicking noise and feel a tapping or tingling as the ultrasonic energy is delivered to the treatment area. The doctor can control the delivery of the energy and can adjust it for the patient’s comfort level.

The procedure itself usually takes about 15-20 minutes but can be longer depending on the customized treatment for each individual , which is based on their degree of erectile dysfunction. Patients usually require six treatments over three weeks ( 2 treatments a week) and they can expect the effects to last for one to two years. Several maintenance treatments may be needed to sustain the desired effect.

Treatments are comfortable, and people don’t require pain relief or anesthetic, however, patients may have soreness, redness, or some bruising in the treatment area. There are no restrictions following the therapy, but we do encourage people to take it easy for the rest of the day.