Women can, at times, face problems that they may not want to discuss about their vaginas, but new procedures are offering hope in a non-surgical fashion. Women who’ve had hysterectomies or have beat cancer — or those who might not have experienced those occurrences — have complained to their doctors about painful sex and vaginal dryness, and leaking urine during times of stress.
It’s a problem that Dr. Nancy Salisbury says she hears about at least two to three times per day, when the women decide to share their vaginal issues with their doctor and try to not suffer in silence anymore. Women speak of not wanting to lose their husbands due to their inability to have sex and find it a pleasurable experience. It’s an important part of a relationship and can be a very common problem for postmenopausal women. Women speak of surviving cancer only to not be able to have sex, and they want to do something to fix it.
With procedures like “Mona Lisa Touch,” a laser that stimulates the cells of the vaginal wall — and one that helps the vaginal walls once again produce collagen — hope is being restored. Speaking of restoration, Dr. Salisbury likens the process to resurfacing a hardwood floor by removing the top layer off of hardwood floor (the vaginal walls) and refreshing them with the CO2 laser that is Mona Lisa Touch.
Afterward, the vagina heals without side effects — and Mona Lisa Touch users already find progress, even halfway through their treatments. The outpatient procedure performed by doctors like Dr. Salisbury only requires 6 treatments and the total cost is between $2,000 and $3,000. As reported by KATU, Mona Lisa Touch can make a big difference in the lives of women who experience such symptoms.
As reported by Essence, there are also other methods of tightening the vagina that don’t require surgery, such as the Apex Pelvic Floor Muscle Stimulator, and the Femilift, which Real Self users rate as 100 percent worth it.
There’s also ThermiVa, rated 96 percent worth it, and is described as follows.
“ThermiVa is a non-surgical vaginal tightening treatment for women who want to reclaim what childbirth or aging may have taken away. Using the same technology that’s used in ThermiTight and ThermiSmooth, radiofrequency energy is sent to the desired area (internally or externally), heating the tissue and stimulating the body’s own collagen. ThermiVa is performed in three treatments over the course of three months. Average Price:$2,700“
As for the Mona Lisa Touch procedure that more and more doctors — like the Lake Oswego-based gynecologist Dr. Nancy Salisbury — are beginning to offer around the country, it’s an FDA-approved procedure that’s much less invasive than traditional vaginal rejuvenation surgery.
Women with vaginal atrophy are looking towards Mona Lisa Touch to give them back the renewed vaginal walls and tightness that they enjoyed prior to having babies, going through menopause, recovering from cancer and other hormonal issues. Salisbury explained that the process can help bring lubrication to vaginal areas that suffered from a lack of estrogen.
“We actually take the top layer off the hardwood floor and redo it. And the CO2 laser very similarly is re-surfacing the vagina. I hear about the problem two or three times a day. There’s a lot of devastating consequences to losing a healthy, intimate relationship with your partner. It gives them hope for having rewarding intimacy again in their life. Women get tears in their eyes. They’re so happy that there are choices for them.”
With 50 percent of post-menopausal women reporting problems with vaginal dryness or pain during sex, and Mona Lisa Touch’s 96 percent success rate, it seems like more and more OB/GYNs will begin offering the Mona Lisa Touch laser to their patients.
[Photo by AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes]