There are various ways to treat PPP: fractional resurfacing laser treatments, electrotherapy, cryotherapy (using intense cold to freeze off the lesions, with a success rate of up to 90%), and chemical agents.Â
Surgical removal with a scalpel is also possible, but this option is the most likely to leave scars.
The gold-standard treatment option, according to Dr. Groff, is laser therapy using a fractionated CO2 laser (sometimes called a carbon dioxide laser) like the DeepFX. This allows the provider to vaporize each papule individually, without damaging surrounding tissue.Â
A 2015 article in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology backs up his assertion, with several case reports of successful penile papule treatments with a CO2 laser.Â
“The beauty of the CO2 laser, when used properly, is that it’s safe, is effective, and requires only one treatment,” says Dr. Groff. Because it removes only a fraction of the skin's surface, healing takes about five days.
Other laser surgery options include the pulsed-dye laser, which requires two to three treatment sessions, and the ablative Erbium: yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Er:YAG) laser, which can take up to five treatment sessions. Pulsed-dye lasers don't remove the top layer of skin; the Er:YAG does, so it can take a few days longer to heal.
Whatever treatment is used, a strong topical anesthetic cream will be applied for up to an hour beforehand (no needles involve), so the procedure is virtually painless.