VAGINAL LOOSENESS
Vaginal laxity or looseness is a condition often associated with a decreased ability to contract the vaginal muscles. While it’s most commonly related to vaginal childbirth, it can also occur due to natural aging, hormonal changes, or other medical conditions.
Vaginal childbirth can lead to a significant amount of stress and stretching of the vaginal walls and pelvic floor muscles. Some women may experience a change in vaginal tightness after delivering vaginally, especially after multiple deliveries, or a particularly difficult or traumatic one. The pelvic floor muscles, which support the uterus, bladder, and bowel, can also become weakened or damaged during childbirth, further contributing to a sense of looseness or laxity.
However, it’s crucial to note that every woman’s body responds differently to childbirth. While some women may experience a degree of vaginal laxity, others may not notice a significant change. It’s also important to note that over time and with exercises like Kegels, many women can regain much of the pre-birth tightness.
Aging and hormonal changes, such as those occurring during menopause, can also contribute to vaginal laxity. As women age, they naturally lose some of the collagen that gives the vaginal tissue its elasticity. Decreased estrogen levels during menopause can also lead to thinner, less elastic, and drier vaginal walls, leading to a feeling of looseness.
The concept of vaginal laxity, or the perceived looseness, can influence mutual sexual satisfaction. However, it’s crucial to note that each person’s sexual experience and satisfaction can depend on a multitude of factors beyond just physical sensations, such as emotional connection and communication. Understanding and addressing concerns about vaginal laxity, if they arise, can be an essential part of maintaining a healthy and satisfying sexual relationship.
Treatments may include pelvic floor physiotherapy, hormone replacement therapy, laser treatments, or even surgical interventions in more severe cases.
CO2 Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation
CO2 laser is an ablative laser and is used in fractional mode to treat vaginal looseness. Because it is used in the fractional mode, the healing process is fast.
- Fractional CO2 Laser: This is a type of laser treatment that uses a carbon dioxide (CO2) laser, which has been employed in medical procedures for decades. When we say it’s an “ablative” laser, we mean it works by vaporizing, or ablating, the outer layers of skin or tissue. When the laser is used in “fractional” mode, it means the laser light is split into many tiny beams, targeting only a fraction of the tissue at a time, rather than all of it. This results in creating tiny dots of treated tissue surrounded by untreated areas.
- Treatment of Vaginal Laxity: The laser treatment targets the vaginal tissue, creating small zones of thermal injury or damage in the vaginal wall. This controlled damage, rather than harming the vagina, triggers the body’s natural healing response, leading to the removal of older, damaged cells and the generation of new, healthier tissue.
- Collagen and Elastin Production: Central to this healing process is the production of collagen and elastin, two proteins that are fundamental to the structure and elasticity of our tissues. When the body repairs the small areas of laser-induced damage, it produces more of these proteins, which leads to a tightening of the vaginal tissue – this can help to counteract vaginal laxity or looseness.
- Quick Healing: The benefit of using a fractional CO2 laser (as opposed to a full-field or non-fractional laser) is that the surrounding, untreated tissue can assist in the healing process, allowing for quicker recovery times. By treating only a fraction of the tissue at a time, the healing process is expedited, and the risk of side effects is minimized.
- Outcome: The result of this treatment is a strengthened and tightened vaginal wall, which can alleviate the symptoms of vaginal laxity, leading to improved physical comfort and potentially enhanced sexual satisfaction.
What Does the Procedure Entail?
Thirty to forty minutes after the application of a numbing cream
the procedure is administered in the office with very minimal discomfort. The CO2 probe is gently inserted into the vaginal canal, where it pulses energy throughout the area for 10 minutes.
Many patients report like having warm sensations inside the vagina.
Results
While results can vary depending on the individual and the specific problem being treated, here are some general expectations from this treatment:
- Vaginal Rejuvenation: The treatment stimulates the production of collagen and elastin, the proteins responsible for skin’s elasticity and strength. This can result in a tightening effect, potentially improving symptoms related to vaginal laxity or looseness.
- Reduced Urinary Incontinence: Many women experience a reduction in stress urinary incontinence symptoms (urine leakage during activities that put pressure on the bladder like coughing, sneezing, laughing, or exercise) after fractional CO2 laser treatments.
- Improved Sexual Function: The tightening effect and increased vaginal lubrication can improve sexual satisfaction and lessen sexual discomfort.
- Relief from Vaginal Atrophy Symptoms: For postmenopausal women suffering from vaginal atrophy (thinning, drying, and inflammation of the vaginal walls), these treatments can reduce dryness, burning, and itching, and may improve associated pain during sexual intercourse.
- Increased Vaginal Lubrication: The treatment may enhance the function of the local glands, thereby increasing vaginal moisture levels & decreasing symptoms of vaginal dryness.
While CO2 laser has the science to produce a healthier vagina, it does not have magical superpowers to improve all aspects of feminine and sexual health, since aspects of desire and orgasm are cultural and psychological as well.
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