What it is
A bladder leak is urine escaping when you did not mean it to. For most people it happens on a cough, a laugh, a sneeze, a run or a lift, and it is a teaspoon rather than a flood. For others it arrives as urgency, a sudden need that does not wait, which is why the day gets planned around where the toilets are.
Underneath both is the same thing. The pelvic floor is a sling of muscle that holds the bladder, the bowel and the womb in place and closes the bladder when it should stay closed. When that muscle loses tone, it stops closing reliably.
It is common and it is not something you have to live with. At Skinfolk it is treated with Emsella, which strengthens the pelvic floor while you sit fully clothed, at £20 for a 30 minute session on our treatment list.
Why it happens
The pelvic floor is a muscle, and like any muscle it loses tone when it is stretched, strained or simply not used. Most of the reasons people come to us are ordinary ones.
- Pregnancy and childbirth, which stretch the pelvic floor and take time to recover from
- The perimenopause and the menopause, when falling oestrogen changes the tissue and the muscle together
- Years of coughing, straining or heavy lifting
- High impact exercise, which is why runners and women who lift are here as often as anyone
- Simply not using the muscle, since a pelvic floor that is never worked behaves like any other muscle that is never worked
What makes it worse
What makes it worse
Caffeine, alcohol and fizzy drinks all irritate the bladder and most people already know it. Constipation and a persistent cough both load the pelvic floor every day. Cutting down on fluid makes urgency worse rather than better, because concentrated urine irritates more. And going to the toilet just in case trains the bladder to signal earlier, which is the one habit worth breaking first.
Emsella is £20 for 30 minutes, and every price we publish is on our treatment pricing page.
When to see someone
- Leaking on a cough, a laugh, a sneeze, a run or a lift
- Urgency, or knowing where every toilet on the route is
- Wearing a pad for leaks, or choosing clothes around them
- Avoiding running, trampolining or a class because of what happens
- Not being able to feel the pelvic floor working, or not being sure the exercises are being done correctly
When to speak to your GP first
- Blood in the urine, at any time
- Pain or burning when passing urine, or a suspected infection
- Leaking that has started suddenly or changed recently
- A feeling of something coming down, or pressure in the vagina
- Pregnancy, or a very recent birth
- Leaking alongside other symptoms that are new to you
Any of these is worth a conversation with your GP before an aesthetic treatment, and we will say so at consultation if it comes up.
How it is treated at Skinfolk
It starts with a consultation. We go through when the leaks happen, what brings them on, how long it has been going and your medical history, and only then is anything booked in.
Emsella is the treatment. You sit fully clothed on the device while it delivers thousands of deep pelvic floor contractions in a single session, which is the equivalent of doing hours of pelvic floor exercises without the effort. It is £20 for 30 minutes on our treatment list and a course is recommended, because that is where the change happens.
Where the core has come apart as well as the pelvic floor, which is common after a baby and through the menopause, our Floor to Core programme combines Emsella with targeted core and abdominal work. It is set out on our signature programmes page.
There is no downtime and nothing to recover from. Results feel subtle at first and build across a course, and when to come back is agreed with you rather than assumed.
Bladder leak questions
What causes bladder leaks?
A pelvic floor that has lost tone. The pelvic floor holds the bladder and closes it when it should stay closed, and pregnancy, childbirth, the menopause, years of coughing or straining and high impact exercise all weaken it.
How are bladder leaks treated at Skinfolk?
With Emsella, which strengthens the pelvic floor using high intensity electromagnetic technology while you sit fully clothed. It is agreed at consultation before anything is booked in.
How much does it cost?
Emsella is £20 for 30 minutes on our treatment list, and a course is recommended. Every price we publish is on our treatment pricing page.
Do pelvic floor exercises work on their own?
They can, and they are worth doing. The difficulty most people have is knowing whether they are working the right muscle and keeping it up for long enough. Emsella works the muscle for you, which is why it suits anyone who cannot feel the exercises doing anything.
Do I need to undress?
No. You stay fully clothed and seated for the whole session, which takes 30 minutes, and you go straight back to your day afterwards.
Where is the clinic?
Skinfolk is at The Paddocks, Woodhall Lane, Ombersley, Uphampton, Droitwich WR9 0JR. We welcome clients from Droitwich Spa, Worcester, Bromsgrove and across Worcestershire. Details are on our contact page.
What treats it
Emsella is the first treatment we reach for, because it strengthens the pelvic floor itself. You sit fully clothed for 30 minutes and the device does the work of the exercises.
Where the core needs rebuilding alongside the pelvic floor, our Floor to Core programme combines the two and is set out on the signature programmes page. Both sit with our other body treatments, and the prices are on the treatment pricing page.
Book your consultation
Twenty minutes with us in Droitwich and you will know whether Emsella is right for you, what a course would look like and what it will cost.
Links to Pabau, our treatment booking platform. Or call 07930 517202.
