The MonaLisa Touch® laser is an FDA-approved laser therapy used to treat the symptoms of atrophic vaginitis. As you are aware, lack of estrogen from menopause or chemotherapy for breast cancer may cause vaginal dryness, itching, burning or pain with intercourse. Women can also notice a change in their urinary habits termed the Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause. These changes can include nocturia,, urinary urgency, frequency or incontinence. Many women also suffer with recurring urinary tract infections after menopause.
Current therapeutic options include vaginal estrogen, systemic hormone replacement, lubricants or medications to treat urinary symptoms. The MonaLisa Touch® laser is a fractional CO2 laser treatment that is performed in the office with the need for anesthesia. The laser creates a mild thermal injury that induces very specific and reproducible changes in the vaginal epithelium, to include:
- restoration of the vaginal squamous layer
- increased collagen production and connective tissue matrix
- increased glycogen storage
- increased capillaries
- increased hyaluronic acid
These findings have been confirmed with histology and electron microscopy and can be observed after a single treatment. As a result, more than 90% of patients notice an improvement in their vaginal symptoms. Improvements with urinary symptoms, incontinence and UTIs are currently being studied.
The typical treatment course involves three induction treatments over the course of 12 weeks. Afterwards, a single treatment annually is all that is required to maintain the effects. There have been more than 30,000 treatments to date without any reported adverse events, so the safety profile is excellent.
Please encourage your patients to learn more information and see if they are a candidate for the MonaLisa Touch® laser. there is no need for patients to suffer silently, use expensive messy creams or risk the potential side effects of hormone replacement. These simple and easy non-surgical procedures are an impressive option to restore vaginal health and significantly improve your patient’s lifestyle.