We tend to think the effects of aging are inevitable and that nothing can be done to stop them. Take, for instance, vaginal changes that occur over time and result in itching, dryness, and a loss of sexual satisfaction. These can have a profound impact on a woman’s overall wellbeing, but treatment is available. The MonaLisa Touch vaginal rejuvenation offered by Verve Weight Loss & Laser Aesthetics in Upland, CA, is an effective and pain-free way to fully revitalize tissues.

How Long Does It Take for MonaLisa Touch to Work?

While each patient responds to treatment a little differently, many women feel improvements after just one session. Some women even experience less dryness and improved vaginal comfort on the same day as their first treatment. Subsequent sessions bring an escalation of progress, and maximum results are typically seen after three treatments delivered approximately six to eight weeks apart.

Depending on your symptom severity and initial response to treatment, maintenance sessions may be necessary yearly or every other year. Our staff will carefully examine you, your health, and your body to craft an optimal treatment plan.

What Is This Treatment?

If you ask some women, they might say this treatment is a second chance at personal comfort and sexual pleasure. But medically, it’s a therapy that uses a gentle fractional CO2 laser to safely regenerate vaginal tissues. Once the laser is applied to dry and damaged tissues, the body responds by ramping up collagen production. This is part of an inherent injury response that allows new, healthy tissues to replace those that are dead.

Meanwhile, new blood vessels also develop. This is crucial, as an adequate blood supply feeds cells with the nutrients they need to thrive. Vaginal tissues then become firmer, healthier, and tauter. Natural lubrication is also restored as blood flows more freely to the vagina. The rejuvenating effects provided by MonaLisa can address a variety of symptoms that women of all ages struggle with, including:

  • Painful intercourse
  • Vaginal bleeding and discomfort
  • Frequent urinary tract infections
  • Stress urinary incontinence
  • Lichen sclerosis

The Causes of These Symptoms

Waning estrogen levels leave vaginal tissues dryer, thinner, and less elastic than when the hormone is in ample supply. Estrogen can drop for a number of reasons, but the most common is owed to menopause. But even women in perimenopause can experience symptoms like vaginal discomfort while seated or during exercise. And with time, these effects become more pronounced as estrogen continues to decline.

Women who have undergone radiation or chemotherapy treatments can also experience estrogen drops. Pregnancy is another culprit that doesn’t necessarily diminish estrogen but can leave vaginal tissues loose and weak. The impact on a woman’s health can range from frequent itching and burning to a loss of pleasure during sexual intercourse. Some women experience no sexual sensations, while others only feel pain.

How This Treatment Is Different

MonaLisa Touch provides a medication-free and hormone-free rejuvenation that is easily administered. It’s ideal for women who have been advised, or simply prefer, to avoid treatments containing estrogen. It’s also designed specifically for vaginal tissues, meaning it stimulates both surface-level and deep tissue layers to fully restore vaginal lubrication and elasticity.

Backed by Scientific Evidence

Although many other lasers exist on the market today, they cannot match the gentle but highly effective nature of the MonaLisa. In a clinical trial from Stanford University, 96% of patients reported feeling satisfied or extremely satisfied with the treatment.

They also showed statistically significant improvements in such symptoms as painful urination, itching, dryness, and painful intercourse. Their progress escalated with each subsequent treatment, and last but not least, the women in this trial experienced no adverse reactions or side effects.

What to Expect

The MonaLisa does not require anesthesia, painful poking, or surgical procedures. It’s a thin, lightweight laser that emits only a slight vibration as the probe is inserted into the vagina.

Treatment itself will likely feel similar to your annual gynecological exam. You don’t have to fast or prepare beforehand, so you need not worry about disruptions to your routine. Instead, once you arrive at our office, you’ll be taken to a private room to change into a dressing gown. You’ll then lie on your back in a comfortable position.

A Quick and Pain-Free Experience

After a brief examination to evaluate your vaginal tissues – we’re specifically looking at elasticity and dryness – a numbing cream is applied to the vaginal opening. This ensures a smooth and comfortable treatment session.  You’ll also be provided with eyewear to protect your eyes, a routine precaution taken with every medical laser.

We then place the wand inside the vagina and rotate and reposition it over a course of three to four minutes. This ensures all tissues are treated for consistent rejuvenation. Once interior tissues are treated, a different laser piece is used to treat the opening of the vagina, including external vulvar tissue. After treatment, you can rest for a few minutes until you’re assured of no discomfort. You are then free to resume your daily activities.

The Benefits You Can Enjoy

Changes in a woman’s vaginal and/or sexual health typically begin slowly and then gradually increase to encroach on her lifestyle. Once a patient undergoes treatment with MonaLisa Touch, she’s often surprised by the many ways in which she feels better – including feeling more comfortable on a daily basis and more able to enjoy life.

Additional benefits include improved sexual satisfaction. A number of women with vaginal dryness experience bleeding and pain (as mentioned earlier) during intercourse. Such symptoms take a toll on a patient mentally and physically and can also affect her partner. Treatment with the MonaLisa can resolve these issues and allow you to feel a renewed closeness to your loved one.

Say Goodbye to Burning and Itching

The burning and itching that accompanies vaginal dryness can be both annoying and uncomfortable. Women usually try over-the-counter creams and suppositories in the hopes of correcting their concerns, but these yield more mess and inconvenience than anything. They also vary in effectiveness, meaning you never know if they’ll work.

After the MonaLisa, you likely won’t have to use OTC remedies that are intrusive and cumbersome. In fact, you’ll enjoy life much more fully once you no longer have to contend with the distractions caused by vaginal burning and itching.

Convenient Sessions

Vaginal dryness is a condition shrouded in silence. Women feel nervous discussing it with their physicians and rarely even tell their partners about the pain and discomfort they feel. But suffering in silence is unnecessary when such an easy, straightforward, and effective treatment is available. Three quick appointments can be easily worked into your schedule, and some women even choose to have treatments during their lunch hours.

Fewer Leaks

Stress incontinence is another condition women don’t like to discuss. But loose vaginal tissues often cause leaking when a woman sneezes, coughs, squats, or laughs suddenly. And this can happen every day rather than occasionally, infringing on quality of life and causing embarrassing episodes. The MonaLisa Touch can help by tightening and strengthening tissues to stop bladder leaks. You’ll feel more confident after treatment with the ability to freely:

  • Exercise
  • Travel
  • Socialize
  • Complete daily errands

Frequently Asked Questions

Many women ask how soon after treatment they can resume intercourse, and we recommend waiting two to three days after your session. This gives tissues a chance to recover so sexual pleasure is once again possible.

Another common question is if a lubricant will still be necessary during intercourse. The degree of tissue damage and dryness is different for each woman, so it’s hard to answer this question with a definitive yes or no. Some women continue to use a lubricant after estrogen treatments, and similarly, some may choose to use a lubricant after laser. We can discuss this more once we see how you respond to MonaLisa.

Is the MonaLisa Safe?

This is a question we’re happy to answer with an unequivocal yes. The laser earned FDA approval in 2014 and has been widely used ever since. Clinical trials also show it works as well as estrogen-containing products like tablets, creams, and rings.

Researchers evaluated women treated with MonaLisa using the same criteria as those used in estrogen trials. Patients who received laser treatments exhibited the same tissue changes – as proven by biopsy results – and reduction in vaginal pH as women in pre-menopausal stages. The study participants also reported a significant decrease in pain during intercourse.  

Take Control of Your Sexual Health

You don’t have to sit back and let reduced estrogen levels and/or the effects of childbirth permanently change your body. The MonaLisa is one of the simplest and safest treatments available. It can begin rejuvenating vaginal tissues in as little as one session, and improvements only continue to build with each subsequent treatment. Schedule your consultation today by contacting Verve Weight Loss & Laser Aesthetics in Upland, CA.