What is Vaginal Rejuvenation? A Review of Viveve, Thermiva, Labiaplasty, Mona Lisa & O-Shot
WHAT IS VAGINAL REJUVENATION?
You might have heard the term “vaginal rejuvenation” and wondered, what in the world does that mean? Does my vagina need to be, look or feel younger or more lively? What’s important to point out is that vaginal rejuvenation is about far more than aesthetics. This treatment is really about enhancing function and feeling. My patients turn to me for vaginal rejuvenation because they are having some level of dysfunction that is compromising their quality of life or relationships and they’re looking for a solution.
ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR VAGINAL REJUVENATION?
The vagina is an elastic muscle and it can expand due to childbirth and age. Expansion from childbirth is an acknowledged occurrence. What is less well-known is that, with age, hormonal changes reduce the strength of the muscle and surrounding connective tissues, causing the vagina to potentially lose elasticity. Also known as vaginal laxity, this looseness or loss of tone is fairly common, often impacting a woman's satisfaction with intercourse, and can also contribute to symptoms like urinary incontinence.
There are several reasons, beyond the desire to “tighten up down there”, that women are turning to vaginal rejuvenation as it can treat a wide array of conditions:
Loss of vaginal lubrication (drier tissue during intercourse often causes discomfort or pain with sex - this is common post-partum, post-menopause, as a result of age, or in association with some medications.)
Urinary incontinence (this can include stress incontinence resulting in small amounts of urine leakage from physical strain - i.e. jumping, coughing, sneezing, running, etc. - or urge incontinence which is loss of bladder control where a woman has less warning when needing to urinate.)
Sexual dysfunction (This can occur at any age, often manifesting as pain with intercourse, loss of sensitivity, loss of lubrication, or loss of ability to reach orgasm.)
Visual changes (Some women become unhappy with tissue atrophy, loss of plumpness, drooping tissues, or loss of tissue pinkness following pregnancy, aging, and menopause.)
Loss of vaginal tone or tightness (Many women notice changes to the pelvic floor musculature and tightness of the vaginal canal with childbirth or changes in age and hormones.)
These conditions are more common than many imagine. For instance, more than 30% of women are affected by urinary incontinence, and half of postmenopausal women are affected by vaginal dryness and irritation.
Women can experience these conditions post-pregnancy, post-menopause, peri-menopause, or as a result of surgical trauma. Some athletes have anatomical stresses from exercise that can lead to these ailments and challenges. Even basic genetics and aging can bring on symptoms.
Additionally, some women turn to vaginal rejuvenation treatments to maintain their general sexual health and others use them for preventative care.
VAGINAL REJUVENATION TREATMENTS
RADIOFREQUENCY TREATMENTS - VIVEVE VS THERMIVA
This option uses a small probe or wand that is inserted inside the vagina to gently deliver pulses of energy to remodel vaginal collagen. Treatments last approximately 8-60 minutes. The ThermiVa requires multiple visits whereas the Viveve treatment only requires one - which is one of the main reasons we selected Viveve as our vaginal rejuvenation treatment of choice.
We also selected Viveve because this solution more effectively treats vaginal tone due to its ability to penetrate tissues 8-10 times deeper than ThermiVa. Also - Viveve features a cryogen-cooled tip, making it generally more comfortable than ThermiVa.
Radiofrequency treatments typically cost between $1,000 - $6,000. Following the treatment, women are required to abstain from sex for at least two days. With Viveve, women will see immediate results in vaginal tissues with continuing benefits occurring up to three months following treatment.
PELVIC FLOOR STRENGTHENING WITH HIFEM (EMSELLA)
High-intensity electromagnetic (HIFEM) technology is used to stimulate the deep muscles of the pelvic floor, causing them to contract. Strengthening the pelvic floor through HiFEM technology can help resolve urinary leakage, and improve sexual function and vaginal tone or tightness. The device we utilize in the office is called Emsella, which is FDA-approved for urinary incontinence for men and women. While sitting on the Emsella chair fully clothed, patients will experience the contraction of their pelvic floor musculature. A single Emsella session produces thousands of supramaximal pelvic floor muscle contractions, which serve to re-educate women’s pelvic floor muscles. It produces the same result as doing 10,000 kegel exercises in a half hour. We call it the Kegel Throne. Typically, patients will need two treatments per week for three weeks for a total of six treatments. Most patients report significant benefits to urinary control, sexual responsiveness, and vaginal tone. Pelvic floor strengthening can be an important part of vaginal rejuvenation - either alone or in addition to other treatments including radio frequency or an O-Shot.
PRP / O-SHOT
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a non-surgical solution to enhancing sexual function and improving urinary incontinence. PRP, which is a platelet and growth factor-rich portion of blood derived from the patient, can be injected vaginally to improve lubrication, sensation, and urinary leakage. Though not FDA-approved for sexual function issues, the O-Shot is a widely used treatment by practitioners including OBGYNs.
LASER TREATMENTS
Laser treatments are also a popular approach for vaginal rejuvenation - the most common being MonaLisa Touch, Juliet, DiVa, Femilift, and IntimaLase. Laser treatments use a small laser that is inserted into the vagina to heat the tissue. The procedure lasts anywhere from 10 - 45 minutes and requires multiple sessions. These treatments can cost $1,000 - $6,000 depending on the treatment, the number of required visits, and the healthcare provider. Most laser treatments require a topical anesthetic before treatment or a healing cream like aloe vera following the treatment. Patients may experience some light spotting, cramping, crusting, oozing, or slothing of tissues after treatment and are typically advised to abstain from sex for several days. Laser treatments are used to address more superficial or visual changes in the tissue (i.e. dryness, loss of plumpness, mild drooping of tissue).
LABIAPLASTY AND VAGINOPLASTY
Surgical procedures including labiaplasty and vaginoplasty may also be considered for vaginal rejuvenation. Labiaplasty is a surgery to remove excess tissue from the labia, either for women who feel physical discomfort due to enlarged or elongated labia or for cosmetic reasons. Vaginoplasty is a surgical approach where incisions are made on the inside of the vagina to tighten the vaginal wall, specifically at the entry point to the vagina. These procedures cost between $3,500 - $9,500 depending on the surgery and the healthcare provider. Women are encouraged to take two days off following surgery to decrease swelling and can expect healing to be complete in approximately two weeks.
Labiaplasty and vaginoplasty are targeted more toward women seeking aesthetic or partner experience enhancements and less to those seeking to address pain, dryness, or lack of sexual function. It is important to note that there are rare but possible complications with surgery that may include wound infection, hemorrhage, lack of lubrication, and constipation.
OUR RECOMMENDATION - VIVEVE
After significant research, we chose the Viveve solution because of its efficacy and safety as well as the lack of side effects and downtime needed post-treatment. Additionally, Viveve treats not just the superficial, visual changes - but also tone, lubrication, and sexual experience. These vaginal rejuvenation treatments have afforded many of my patients significant improvements.
NON-SURGICAL TREATMENT FAQS
Q. Who might be a good candidate for RF treatments in Vaginal Rejuvenation?
Radiofrequency treatments for the vagina are safe for most women, especially those that have issues relating to stress urinary incontinence, vaginal tissue atrophy, vaginal dryness, mild vaginal prolapse, pain with sex, a decline in sensitivity or orgasm, and unsatisfactory aesthetic appearance. It is recommended that women only consider this treatment at least three months after giving birth, due to hormone shifts. Post-menopausal women are especially good candidates for this approach.
Q. How are radio frequency treatments performed?
With the Viveve RF device, a cryogen-cooled tip is inserted into the vagina and rotated 360 degrees. The RF device penetrates the vaginal tissue and pelvic floor structures, stimulating the body’s natural collagen response, enhancing the resiliency of vaginal tissue and pelvic floor, and giving it a more youthful tone.
Q. Do RF treatments have any risks or downtime?
In general, RF treatments are exceedingly safe. Some women can have some superficial sensitivity for up to 48 hours following the treatment. After 48 hours can resume sexual activity or use tampons.
Q. How soon will I see results and how long will they last?
Patients who receive a Viveve treatment will see immediate visual improvements to the labia and will start to appreciate enhancements in lubrication, sensitivity, tone, and stress urinary incontinence as soon as one week following treatment. Women may continue to see improvements for up to three months following treatment. Clinical studies show that results can last for at least one year.
IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU MAY BE A CANDIDATE, OR WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VAGINAL REJUVENATION - JUST GIVE THE OFFICE A CALL AT 425-970-8568.
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