The week during the Xiaflex injections is pretty rough. The penis will get swollen and/or bruised and pretty sore. After that it gets much better. For some people, the bruising can be pretty substantial and can spread down into the scrotum and near the pubic hair region.
For some patients, I will notice “blood blisters”. Usually the skin will get very thin near this blood blister and it will pop. If you notice this, I will usually recommend placing Vaseline on this area for comfort until it heals up. Sometimes you will even need to wrap the penis in gauze.
The biggest risk that we worry about during treatment is a “penile fracture” or corporal rupture. This is where the lining of the penis where the erection forms has a tear. This is why we tell our patients to avoid sex for a month after the injection. Even for those who stay abstinent, it can happen spontaneously. Sometimes this can heal without any surgery but other times we will need to urgently take a patient to the operating room to fix the site of the rupture.