Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is the most common form of urinary incontinence in women. It is defined as the involuntary loss of urine during coughing, sneezing or physical exertion, such as activities or sudden change in sport position. It is estimated to affect between 4% and 14% of younger women and 12% to 35% of older women.
There are many possible non-surgical and surgical treatments for stress urinary incontinence. Initial treatment should include non-surgical therapies, behavioral changes and pelvic floor muscle exercises. Electrical stimulation, weighted vaginal cones and drug therapy may also reduce stress incontinence. Bulking agents reduce leakage, but efficacy generally decreases after 1-2 years. Surgical procedures are more likely to cure stress urinary incontinence than nonsurgical procedures, but are associated with more adverse effects.
Lasers to treat urinary incontinence
Many women with SUI do not seek care for their condition due to embarrassment, lack of knowledge about possible treatments, or fear that treatment will require surgery. Researchers have suggested that the ligaments of women with stress urinary incontinence have decreased collagen content or qualitative alterations in collagen composition.
Minimally invasive procedures such as the non-ablative erbium:YAG laser allows for collagen remodeling of the irradiated tissue which consequently contracts and shrinks resulting in improved bladder support and thus reducing the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. A positive effect on stress urinary incontinence symptoms is attributed to neocollagenesis and collagen remodeling. The goal of non-ablative laser treatment is to achieve selective, heat-induced denaturation of dermal collagen leading to subsequent deposition of new collagen with as little damage to the epidermis as possible. Apart from collagen and momentary tissue contraction reaction, the processes of collagen remodeling and neocollagenesis at the beginning and at the end of these processes the treated tissue enriched with new collagen hardens and obtains better elasticity. Only two laser sessions are necessary to treat urine leakage, the second one a month after the first one.
Advantages of laser treatment
– It is not painful.
– It does not require hospitalization.
– It does not require rest.
– You can go on with your normal life and return to work and your daily activities.
– High degree of efficacy higher than 90% of the cases.