As we begin a new year, we hold the promise to eat better, drink less, stop smoking, make better health choices and start our book of life once again. As maturing people, we suffer from many different aspects of aging in the most intimate ways. Maybe it is our same old libido that doesn’t seem to be as easily aroused as it once was, the feeling of mild, but irritating vaginal dryness, looseness, mild to moderate urinary leakage (incontinence) or perhaps it is a partner’s difficulty with erectile function that puts a damper on our sex life and drive.
As a Board Certified Obstetrician and Gynecologist with many years in the practice of aesthetic medicine, I have coupled my two interests in treating all aspects of sexual health. As I reflect on the many patients I have treated in 2018, I recall two specific people that stand out. One is a 60 year-old man, who came to me for mild to moderate erectile dysfunction. He was self-treating with “the little blue pill” but was concerned about the side effects as it gave him headaches and blood pressure changes. After a one-time treatment (which I will address further in this article) he wrote the following testimonial “in only 6 weeks I could see the difference. My sex life has improved remarkably.” In our consultation, he described his wife’s satisfaction and telling me they are like teenagers again. Another patient, a 50 year-old woman who was recently divorced began dating again. She was self-conscious and fearful of what her vagina was like after three children, suffered a lack of lubrication, difficulty with orgasm and some leakage during exercise. Two weeks after a one-time treatment, she sent me a text full of emojis of water, peaches and happy faces.
Dissatisfaction of a woman’s most intimate physical area can wreak havoc on how she feels externally and in her relationship with her partner. Throughout our sexual lifespan, vaginal tissues change dramatically and can become a cause of concern. As we age, our vaginas age too. After childbirth we may feel less sensitive during intercourse. Through menopause, we may experience less lubrication and dryness. We may feel as though we are leaking urine during events when we have excess pressure on the bladder (coughing, sneezing, or exercise, for example.) Vaginal Rejuvenation is the broad term used when we are improving aspects of the vagina. These can be done surgically or noninvasively. As a nonsurgical option, Viveve™ is a safe, clinically proven treatment to tighten and reinvigorate vaginal tissue. It is also approved for Stress Urinary Incontinence (SUI), which is the loss of urine when abdominal stress is placed on the bladder, for example when coughing, sneezing or jumping. This treatment is a proven method to reduce symptoms of vaginal laxity and loss of sensation, as well as stress incontinence because it works at a cellular level to tighten vaginal tissue. This painless procedure can be completed in one 60-minute session with no anesthesia or downtime, with results that can be felt well over a year.
The O-shot® is a non-surgical treatment that uses your own blood platelets to activate growth factors. PRP or Platelet Rich Plasma is the key, as once injected, it stimulates your own tissue to grow, thrive and repair immediately. The growth factors help to rejuvenate the female orgasm system, vagina and even the neck of the bladder, allowing more blood flow to the area, which results in increasing the area’s sensitivity and reducing incontinence. Since it’s your own growth factors being used, there are no side effects from the material injected.
Similarly, the Priapus Shot® (P-shot) is a lasting solution to help with sexual performance. Men who have received the Priapus Shot® have reported increased firmness, blood flow, and appearance of erections, in addition to increased sexual desire, stamina and pleasure. This procedure can also decrease the need for ED medications, and some have also reported an improvement or complete resolution of prostate discomfort or urinary incontinence.
The goal of treatment is improvement. Similar to injecting Botox, or fillers, I am trying to improve an area of need. Since the sexual cycle is so very complex for individuals, I cannot promise to repair the emotional consequences or longstanding issues that have arisen over years, but by improving each individual aspect, the overall cycle is improved. A true snowball effect.
In the early years of injectables, friends would not share their Botox treatments with their peers due to their feelings of judgement or “cheating” to now, when there is more widely accepted understanding of the human nature for improvement and vanity.
My hope is that in 2019, friends discuss and share their experiences of intimacy. We all deserve to have a better quality of life this year and every year.
Happy New Year! Here’s to a better you in 2019!
For more information on these intimate procedures, please visit eliteaestheticsmd.com.
Dr. Joelle Lieman is Board Certified in the practice of Obstetrics and Gynecology and has practiced in the greater Boston area for over 15 years. Her unique perspective on the effects of aging on the skin and body led Dr. Lieman to the specialized field of aesthetics a decade ago, and has allowed her to achieve certification by the Academy of Aesthetic Medicine. She has since performed thousands of procedures, utilizing her clinical experience and surgical skills to produce “natural” results that gracefully roll back the hands of time without looking artificial. Her state-of-the-art, non surgical treatments include: skin rejuvenation techniques, injectable solutions to reduce the signs of aging by relaxing muscles and fine lines, CoolSculpting (non-invasive technology to reduce unwanted fat) and Ultherapy for lifting and tightening the face and body. Dr. Lieman’s approach is thorough, meticulous, caring and unintimidating.
In January 2016, Dr. Lieman realized her vision of opening a unique, specialized luxury Medspa — Elite Aesthetics, where she and her staff of highly trained, exacting professionals provide a personalized and reassuring approach to aesthetic medicine by using the most sophisticated, cutting edge technologies and advanced medical grade skin care products and techniques. Through a prescribed customized plan, Dr. Lieman enhances the best version of each patient, helping to bring out their best features and feel their most confident. Our top-rated services include CoolSculpting, Ultherapy and other skin rejuvenation treatments near Boston MA.
