For women who undergo vaginal childbirth, as the baby passes the birth canal, the extreme stretch can cause the muscles, ligaments and fascia within the birth canal may weaken. This weakness may be exaggerated with subsequent vaginal births and especially with menopause, when collagen deposition drops with the drop in estrogen, leading to decreased vaginal muscle tone with age. As a result some women experience relaxed vaginal outlets, decreased sensation and sexual pleasure, vaginal flatus and a loose, gaping and embarrassingly unattractive vaginal opening. A host of changes of the vulva, vagina and lower urinary tract can occur leading to vaginal dryness, burning, irritation, lack of lubrication, painful intercourse, as well as urinary symptoms of urgency, painful urination and urinary tract infections. Vaginal discomfort and urinary incontinence can also occur in pre-menopause and after childbirth. Local estrogen treatment may be effective to treat vaginal changes. However, estrogen therapy is contraindicated for women with a personal history of breast cancer or estrogen-dependent tumors. For such women, as is for most women, laser vaginal rejuvenation can be an effective solution.

Fortunately, there are solutions to reconstruct the damaged muscles and tissues of the vaginal cavity to decrease the internal and external vaginal diameters. Laser vaginal rejuvenation restores the vagina and its supporting structures to a more attractive, “pre-pregnancy” state.

Laser vaginal rejuvenation is a breakthrough, minimally-invasive outpatient procedure that incorporates CO2 laser technology to effect optimal results to firm up your vagina, promote lubrication in cases of vaginal dryness and address involuntary passage of urine, called incontinence. The procedure involves inserting a fractional CO2 laser about four to six centimeters into the vagina. Upon firing, the laser beam penetrates about 0.5 millimeters into the vaginal wall, deep enough to reach the level of the skin where collagen is formed. This creates micro-lesions that are required for the production of new collagen which reorganizes and re-equilibrates the components of the vaginal mucosa and the urogenital structures, which enhances sexual pleasure, restores tone to tissue, and increases blood flow.

This, in turn, increases lubrication and strengthens the supporting ligaments surrounding the bladder and urethra to reduce the symptoms of stress urinary incontinence. It is a painless solution lasting only around 10 minutes. It is recommended that women undergo the vaginal laser procedure once a month for three months per year.

Hymenoplasty
It is possible to repair the hymen to a “virginal” state for those whose hymens were torn by any trauma like a straddle injury or activities such as ballet or horseback-riding or even sexual intercourse. It can be restored to a pre-sexual state. A woman can even unknowingly tear her vagina during the application or a tampon or during rigorous sports.

There may be cultural, ethnic or religious reasons to desire a hymenal repair. A history of sexual abuse may also warrant a hymenal repair as part of restoring a woman from her physical and psychological trauma.

Labiaplasty
Many women experience discomfort because of excessive flaps of the labia minora that protrude way beyond the labia majora. This results in great discomfort and sometimes, outright pain, when the flaps get caught in tight fitting clothes, or napkins when they have their menses or even during intercourse.

A reduction labiaplasty can address the problem and restore the confidence of the woman. Surprisingly, in my practice, majority of those seeking this remedy are virgins who are suffering from the discomfort or are embarrassed about the inequality of the left and right labia. Some women express they prefer their labia minora to be hidden by the labia majora.

Labial Tightening
Just like the face, the skin of the labia majora sags and wrinkles after repeated childbirth and especially after menopause, when the collagen deposition decreases with the drop in estrogen. This can affect a woman’s confidence during moments of intimacy. Laser treatments can actually effect a “facelift” to tighten the skin, adressing the layer where the skin and fat meet. As heat increases, the deep collagen in the skin begins to contract, causing a tightening effect with nearly no pain and no downtime for the patient. This results in a visibly improved appearance even after the first treatment.