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Collagen Injections Tighten Up Urinary Control

A product revered by women for its wrinkle-reducing, lip-plumping abilities is being put to new use for men who suffer from urinary incontinence after prostate surgery.

Collagen injections, which have been used for years to give women fuller, sexier lips, may also improve short-term bladder control in men, according to a study that injected collagen into the muscle that controls urinary flow. This non-invasive approach may be a suitable alternative for men who are wary of surgery to correct their bladder problems, the researchers say.

"If the incontinence is determined to be mild, collagen is a reasonable first option," said study author Dr. O. Lenaine Westney, program director of the Division of Urology at the University of Texas.

In a study published in September 2005 in The Journal of Urology, researchers looked at 322 men who had a weakness in the muscle that controls urinary flow caused by treatment for either prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate. All of the men received a series of collagen injections into this muscle. After three years of follow-up, the researchers found that men who had their prostate removed and received the collagen injections had lowered their use of pads, and 17 percent of the men had achieved complete control over their bladder.

Collagen is a protein found naturally in your body that helps to support and strengthen your tendons and provide structure for the skin. The injections have already been shown to be useful in treating women with incontinence problems. But it is most known for its ability to reduce the signs of aging; collagen injection just under the skin can plump up the skin to erase laugh lines and create sultry, pouty lips.

In the same way, collagen injections can "plump" the muscle that controls urinary flow, helping men gain control over their bladder. Since collagen is eventually reabsorbed into the body, the injections need to be repeated. The study showed, on average, that the collagen treatment was effective for six months, but some men were able to go as long as a year between treatments.

"In patients who respond well, collagen may offer a long-term answer albeit with additional injections," Westney explained.

Even though the procedure is not 100 percent effective, collagen injection therapy is a simple procedure, requiring only local anesthesia. And side effects seem to be minimal—1.5 percent of the men in the study complained of an increase in their incontinence. More traditional methods, while they have higher success rates, are all surgical in nature.

Therefore, Westney explained, men who have problems with incontinence after prostate surgery may want to consider collagen injections before resorting to more invasive techniques.

"Surgery should be considered first in a patient who wants a long-term solution and is willing and able to go under anesthesia," said Westney, but adds that collagen injections do not inhibit future surgical options if the urinary problem does not first clear up by itself.