Laser Treatment for Stress Urinary Incontinence - Fotona IncontiLase

IncontiLase is a patent-pending, non-invasive Er: YAG laser therapy for the treatment of mild and moderate stress urinary incontinence. Using a non-ablative photothermal stimulation of collagen neogenesis, the laser works to shrink and tighten vaginal mucosa tissue and collagen-rich endopelvic fascia to provide support to the bladder. IncontiLase therapy is a safe and efficient treatment for mild and moderate stress- and mixed-urinary incontinence (SUI) that’s worth looking into if you’re suffering from it.

What is Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is the loss of bladder control, a common and often embarrassing problem. It can occur for various reasons, ranging from occasional leaks when you cough or sneeze, to having a sudden and strong urge to urinate. It is more common in females than males, and the chances of it happening tend to increase with age. Urinary incontinence is also common for people with conditions such as obesity.

Types of Urinary Incontinence

There are several types of urinary incontinence, such as:
  • Stress incontinence – Happens when your bladder experiences stress or pressure from coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising or lifting heavy objects.
  • Urge incontinence – Happens when you have a sudden, intense urge to urinate followed by an involuntary loss of urine. It may be caused by a minor condition, such as infection, or a more severe condition, such as a neurological disorder or diabetes.
  • Overflow incontinence – Happens when you don’t empty your bladder completely, causing you to experience frequent or constant dribbling of urine.
  • Functional incontinence – Happens when a physical or mental impairment keeps you from making it to the toilet in time.
  • Mixed incontinence – Happens when you experience more than one type of urinary incontinence, most often referring to a combination of stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

Causes of Stress Urinary Incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence is caused by an inability to hold urine in the bladder when there are certain movements or activities, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing or lifting heavy objects. In pregnant women, hormonal changes and the increased weight of the foetus can lead to stress incontinence. Upon vaginal delivery of the baby, it can weaken the muscles needed for bladder control and damage the nerves and supportive tissue, leading to a dropped pelvic floor. With this, the bladder, uterus, rectum or small intestine can get pushed down from the usual position and protrude into the vagina, causing stress urinary incontinence to occur. Over time, ageing of the bladder muscle can decrease the bladder’s capacity to store urine. Involuntary bladder contractions are more frequent as you age. Upon reaching menopause, women produce less estrogen, a hormone that helps to keep the lining of the bladder and urethra healthy. Deterioration of these tissues can aggravate incontinence.

Symptoms of Stress Urinary Incontinence

While the main symptom of urinary incontinence is the unintentional leakage of urine, when and how stress urinary incontinence occurs will depend on what caused it. In the case of stress urinary incontinence, it is more common among women who have given birth or gone through menopause. When their bladder and muscles in the urinary tract experience a sudden extra pressure, they may urinate involuntarily. The following may also trigger stress incontinence:
  • Coughing, sneezing, or laughing
  • Heavy lifting
  • Exercise
Some people may also experience stress urinary incontinence after suffering an injury to their bladder or pelvic floor muscles.

How does Fotona IncontiLase help with Stress Urinary Incontinence?

Fotona IncontiLase can help treat stress incontinence. It is a non-invasive laser therapy for the treatment of mild and moderate stress urinary incontinence. This laser uses Er: YAG non-ablative laser whereby the thermal heat can stimulate collagen remodelling and the synthesis of new collagen fibres to shrink and tighten vaginal mucosa tissue and collagen-rich endopelvic fascia to provide support to the bladder. It is a safe and efficient laser treatment performed by doctors for mild and moderate stress- and mixed-urinary incontinence (SUI). The procedure is non-invasive and painless, with little to no side effects. Plus, the treatment also uses laser energy to tighten the exterior vaginal folds, resulting in a more aesthetic appearance.

What is the treatment process like?

The Fotona IncontiLase laser treatment for stress urinary incontinence is a simple procedure that can be done during your lunch hour.

Aside from a pap smear which is includ, no preparations are required before the procedure. There is also no downtime after the procedure, except for abstaining from sexual activity for 72 hours after the treatment.

Price / Cost of Treatment for Stress Urinary Incontinence – Fotona IncontiLase in Singapore

At SL Aesthetic Clinic, we offer the Fotona IncontiLase treatment (inclusive of pap smear) starting from $1300+ per session.

Prices are subject to prevailing GST. For prices on multiple sessions, speak to our doctor to learn more.

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FAQ

 Yes it is a safe and relatively quick procedure. Fotona IntimaLase is FDA-approved for stress urinary incontinence. It is also effective in vaginal tightening.

Anyone who has given birth vaginally or natural birth or women looking to tighten or maintain their intimate parts. Those with stress urinary incontinence and prolapse can also benefit from this.

The Fotona IntimaLase treatment is unsuitable in the following circumstances:

  • Patients with unrealistic expectations looking to return to how they looked/felt when they were younger
  • Patients with a tendency to form keloid and hypertrophic scars
  • Prior ionising radiation to the area to be treated
  • Patients who have had vaginal or cervical surgeries or cancers
  • Patients with abnormal pap smear results
  • Pregnant women
  • Patients taking photosensitive drugs, or with injury or a vaginal infection
  • Patients with an undiagnosed vaginal bleeding or active menstruation

There is mild discomfort and very rarely some mild swelling.

Patients can go back to their normal active lifestyles after 1-3 days. Usually normal daily activity is fine. There is very minimal downtime. We advise abstaining from penetrative sexual activity 72 hours after treatment.

During the recovery period, there may be some mild discomfort, a warm sensation and very rarely mild swelling which will resolve in a few days.

Usually for severe cases of Vaginal Relaxation Syndrome, 2 treatments initially once month apart and subsequently yearly maintenance. Most patients do well after one treatment and follow up after 8 months to see if another session is needed.  The effects can last 12-16 months.

SL Aesthetic Clinic is one of the few clinics that offer Fotona IntimaLase. The procedure is performed by 2 female doctors, Dr Sue Ho, and Dr Charlene Goh, who have both tried and tested the treatments on themselves and a roster of female volunteers to satisfactory results.

Patients need to have pap smear done first before the treatment. The female doctors at SL Aesthetic Clinic are also equipped to do the pap smear. Pap smear results must be normal, urine culture negative and the vaginal canal free of injuries and bleeding. This should be done preferably 1 week after menstruation. 

Before the laser treatment, the patient’s vagina must be cleansed thoroughly at home.

No special post-treatment instructions are needed. Patients are only advised to avoid sexual activities for a period of 72 hours after each of the treatment sessions.  We also recommended to do a follow up check 2 days after treatment.

Before the laser treatment, the patient’s vagina must be cleansed thoroughly at home.

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