Both CO2 and Er:YAG lasers have been evaluated for their ability to rejuvenate vaginal tissue. 64 The Er:YAG laser emits light at a wavelength of 2.94 µm and is 16 times more highly absorbed by water than the CO2 laser light. 65-67 Because of this higher water absorption rate, the Er:YAG causes much more superficial penetration and ablation of tissue. Most importantly, the Er:YAG laser does not increase the zone of thermal damage with each subsequent laser impact, as the CO2 laser does. Currently, the Er:YAG is the most commonly used laser treatment for VVA.
On Er:YAG laser beam customers are usually treated once per month having 3 days. Ladies are trained so you’re able to avoid sex for around dos months once procedures escort girls in Kansas City KS. Laser treatments target the latest vagina simply, not the newest perineum. Had written study suggests the newest services have to be frequent a year. 68,69
The fresh new Emergency room:YAG laser beam have presented promising outcomes for cancer of the breast survivors. In one research 43 postmenopausal breast cancer survivors was in fact addressed with step three laser beam applications every thirty day period. Their attacks was analyzed prior to treatment and immediately following step 1, step three, 6, twelve, and you may 1 . 5 years, using 2 strategies: subjective graphic analog level (VAS) and you may objective Genital Health Index Get (VHIS). For everybody of one’s women in the study, vaginal dryness, VAS, dyspareunia, and you will VHIS scores notably enhanced after the 3rd cures. The fresh results refuted in the several and eighteen months however, remained somewhat enhanced compared to baseline. The analysis ways “genital erbium laser is very effective and you can not harmful to the management of genitourinary problem regarding menopause inside cancer of the breast survivors.” 68
Using laser devices for VVA truly is a formative science, and we do not have definitive answers about the optimal number and frequency of treatments. Athanasiou and Pitsouni aimed to address this question in a recently published study. 69 In their study, 55 women received 3 sessions of CO2 laser therapy, 53 had an additional fourth session, and 22 had an additional fifth session. Results of their study are summarized in Figure 1.
Profile step 1. Improvement in sexuality-relevant variables one of females addressed with carbon dioxide laser therapy having vulvovaginal atrophy immediately after step three, cuatro, and you will 5 services.
The fresh writers figured laserlight therapy can get join over regression from dyspareunia and you can dryness into the a dose-impulse styles. An extra 4th or 5th session will get then boost the GSM symptom-totally free rate.
Radiofrequency gadgets for vulvovaginal vitality
Radiofrequency gadgets certainly are the most recent options for treatment of VVA. This new radiofrequency solutions tend to be monopolar, bipolar, and you can multipolar equipment. You will find fewer degree so you’re able to corroborate the protection and possibilities compared to laser light treatments.
Radiofrequency treatments are repeated weekly to monthly, usually for a total of 3 treatments. While the CO2 and Er:YAG lasers treat only the vagina, the radiofrequency devices rejuvenate the perineum as well. Women can have intercourse the same day. Like the laser treatments, the effects of radiofrequency treatments diminish over time and likely need to be repeated annually. 70
Post on nonsurgical solution to vulvovaginal atrophy
Both the laser and radiofrequency treatments offer viable options for nonhormonal treatment of VVA. The CO2 and Er:YAG lasers have been used clinically for a couple of decades, while the radiofrequency devices offer promising new treatment options. The Er:YAG laser has been shown to benefit both VVA and mild to moderate stress urinary incontinence (SUI). 71 Less is known about the effectiveness of the radiofrequency devices for treating SUI, but they have the added benefit of treating the perineum as well as vaginal tissue. Insurance companies do not currently cover either laser or radiofrequency treatments for VVA or SUI, and the out-of-pocket expenses are customarily $1,000 per treatment.