Feel Like Yourself Again with MonaLisa Touch®

Perimenopause and menopause are more than just an end to a woman’s reproductive capability. They’re periods of extreme changes to a woman’s body.

In 2014, the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health and the North American Menopause Society coined the term genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM), which describes the signs and symptoms associated with menopause, such as the physical changes of the vulva, vagina, and lower urinary tract.

GSM replaced the terms “vulvovaginal atrophy” and “atrophic vaginitis," which were limited in scope, neither covering the full spectrum of symptoms nor indicating that the symptoms are related to the decreased estrogen levels of menopause.

GSM is a more comprehensive term, covering not only genital symptoms (dryness, burning, irritation, and laxity) and sexual symptoms (lack of enough lubrication for sex, discomfort or pain during sex, and impaired function), but also urinary symptoms (urgency, dysuria, and recurrent urinary tract infections [UTIs)).

At LA Skincare Center, with locations in Santa Monica, Venice, and Manhattan Beach, California, founder and nurse practitioner Raisa Howard and her team understand how this transitional period of your life can not just be uncomfortable, but can also put a dent in your sex life. That’s why they offer MonaLisa Touch®,a minimally invasive treatment that rejuvenates your tissues and gives you back your mojo.

The MonaLisa Touch experience

While many women reaching menopause seek out treatments to combat vaginal skin laxity to “pretty up” the genital region, not all vaginal lasers are developed for cosmetic reasons. In fact, the MonaLisa Touch laser was designed to medically treat the vaginal tissues affected by GSM.

The laser not only helps women with low estrogen levels or estrogen sensitivity, it also treats those experiencing the following issues:

• Frequent UTIs
• General vaginal pain
• Mild urinary incontinence
• Mild vaginal prolapse
• Painful sexual intercourse (dyspareunia)
• Vaginal atrophy (thinning of vaginal tissue)
• Vaginal dryness and itchiness
• Vaginal irritation or burning
• Vaginal laxity

MonaLisa Touch is also a game-changer for women who have breast cancer and are going through GSM. Until now, all of the treatments were estrogen-based, but women with breast cancer who take estrogen-blocking drugs couldn't use them, leaving no options for relief.

MonaLisa Touch treatment experience

The treatment is an in-office procedure, similar to your annual well-woman exam. 

We start by applying a numbing cream to the vaginal opening and vulva, both of which contain sensitive nerves. After that, it’s kind of like a Pap smear. You recline on the exam table with your feet in stirrups, and we insert the wand-shaped laser into your vagina. Once there, we deliver energy pulses to specific treatment areas. You may feel a vibration, but there won’t be pain.

The pulses of energy are delivered to both the internal vaginal skin and the outer vulva skin, each at specific depths to target particular tissue layers. We then use the laser to create a controlled amount of tissue injury, which triggers a burst of cell regeneration and boosts collagen, elastin, and blood vessel production. This rejuvenates the skin, improves its integrity, and provides better lubrication.

The procedure takes less than five minutes, and you can return to your normal day-to-day routine immediately after.

Benefits of this procedure include:

• Alternative to estrogen therapies
• Over 84% report significant improvement
• No anesthesia
• No downtime

Most patients need several treatments spaced a few weeks apart to see maximum benefits. The LA Skincare Center team lets you know at your consultation how many sessions they think are necessary.

If you’re dealing with uncomfortable or painful age-related changes to your vaginal area, MonaLisa Touch can help you feel like yourself again. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, call LA Skincare Center at 310-414-9730, or book online with us today.