How menopause affects your body
Menopause is a process that will happen to all women at some point in their life. It is the time when you stop experiencing your monthly period, and it is most often the end of the reproductive lifecycle.
At ENRICH Clinic, we have a wide range of dermatological and cosmetic body treatments tailored to individual body and patient needs.
At ENRICH Clinic, our treatments are performed by our medical team consisting of doctors, nurses, and dermatologists and are tailored to each patient’s skin health needs.
ENRICH Clinic is committed to your skin health and well-being with a range of dermatological & cosmetic treatments tailored to the individual. Our treatments are performed by our medical team consisting of doctors, nurses, and dermatologists.
Skin health is essential for everyone. ENRICH Clinic has a wide range of technologies and dermatological solutions to help you achieve your skin care goals.
ENRICH is stepping up for women with our Intimate Program! Our Intimate Program is a dedicated set of treatments to get your vagina, vulva and urinary tract back on track by rejuvenating vaginal cells using non-invasive, non-surgical rejuvenation techniques.
We can help tighten the vagina, improve natural lubrication, and start solving mild urinary incontinence without surgery,.
Until recently, there has been no real non-surgical way to restore function to tissue that has been damaged or stretched out or lost its elasticity in some way. Now, we have lasers and radiofrequency that can give a booster shot to vulvovaginal and pelvic cells, helping to restore function, tone and elasticity.
Our treatments do have some discomfort, and we use local anaesthetic applied prior to treatment to help with this. We utilise wave-based technologies to get into the cells and revitalise them. These need to be repeated for most patients every year or so, but they can make a difference over time, and the treatment frequency can often be reduced. It is all patient-dependent. The best outcomes occur for those who have mild symptoms. Please note that severe symptoms may have to be surgically treated. We do not do any form of vaginal surgery here at ENRICH.
‘Rejuvenate’ can seem like a vague, broad word. In this context, we mean that the cells are forced into better performance after being stimulated by the device, which passes without effect through most tissue, targeting the cells we want. In this case, it’s all of it since pelvic tissue is all related and connected when accessed via the vagina. Having it all rejuvenated is ideal, so we want to get as deep as we can.
The treatments, usually just one or two, up to four over several months as a phased treatment plan depending on the severity of symptoms. Treatments usually need to be repeated annually or as required. In some cases, one treatment does what you need.
The stress urinary incontinence laser treatment helps the cells inside your vagina and urinary tract to regenerate themselves, producing more collagen and elastin, improving the function of the entire cell. This cellular rejuvenation is non-invasive (in the sense that it doesn’t ever break the skin to work, though it does need to be performed from inside your vagina with a special handpiece).
With new collagen formation, the old stretched or lax collagen is replaced with fresh collagen, and the looseness you may feel is replaced with tone and improved function. With this tightness often comes improved sensation from the whole area, including the clitoris and labia, which are dense with sensory nerves and are a critical part of the female sexual response.
You may benefit from vaginal laser treatments if you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions.
Vaginal rejuvenation procedures are generally available to most women. If you are not pregnant, have had a recent normal pap smear, and have no vaginal infections or undiagnosed bleeding, you are likely to be a good candidate for vaginal rejuvenation procedures. There are no age restrictions on vaginal rejuvenation procedures, though younger women are less likely to require rejuvenation procedures.
At ENRICH, we use two types of treatments for the vagina – the Juliet laser and the Thermi Va radio frequency. Our Intimate Program is a series of treatments tailored for you. Both work with the generation of heat (thermal energy). Depending on your needs, you may need one or a combination of both. Using a laser on your vagina may sound scary, but learning how it works and what we’re trying to achieve is far less daunting.
The Juliet
The Juliet laser is a similar size to a speculum, so the feeling is relative to having a pap smear without the smearing part. Instead, the Juliet laser uses light to ablate and heat the tissue inside the vagina. This process aids in the gentle rejuvenating of the canal walls by stimulating collagen production, tightening and rejuvenating vaginal tissue. ENRICH Clinic doctors perform the Juliet, and a local anaesthetic cream is put on the outside of the vagina.
The Thermi VA
Thermi Va also uses heat and addresses similar vaginal issues. The Thermi Va uses radio frequency heat, focusing electromagnetic waves on specific areas. Thermi Va’s handpiece is thinner than the Juliet’s. Our ENRICH Clinic nurses perform the Thermi Va. Each treatment alone shows patient benefits; however, we recommend a combination.
At Enrich Clinic, we always say 1+1= 3. Combining two treatments often gives you a compounding effect and usually a better result. These treatments need to be performed four weeks apart to allow tissue recovery.
These procedures are NOT vaginal tightening surgery. Vaginal tightening surgery is a different procedure that is very individual, quite invasive, may include mesh, and is often based on vaginal prolapse or severe trauma issues. We do not perform tightening surgery at ENRICH.
*every patient is unique, and results vary from patient to patient.
Your vaginal walls are made of dense connective tissue thick with blood vessels and nerves. The skin cells of your vagina are unique too, with the labia being more like the skin on other parts of your body and the clitoris having a vast blood supply and nerve network.
Over time, with trauma or childbirth, poor posture and lack of strength in the pelvic muscles, plus the stretching of connective tissue, the vaginal walls can become lax – that is, the connective tissue and pelvic muscles can weaken, causing the vagina to seem ‘loose’.
This feeling can occur after a vaginal delivery, whereby the connective tissue fibres become stretched out and cannot return to their original position. This can happen to any woman, particularly with traumatic births or trauma injuries. Still, it can tend to occur more in older women who give birth vaginally, where the vaginal cells reduced their collagen and elastin production post-birth. Younger women tend to ‘bounce back’ from childbirth, at least vaginally speaking, faster and more fully than older women – a benefit to having children young.
The vulva can also stretch during childbirth, causing the vaginal lips to hang more rather than sit where they used to. This is not dangerous, but the lack of elasticity in this tissue can make for a few uncomfortable problems, like stress urinary incontinence, discomfort in underwear, and a loss of sensation during sex.
Tearing is another cause of connective tissue issues in and around the vagina and pelvis, with tears ripping the connective tissue apart. Sometimes the body cannot sufficiently repair this to restore full sensation and function.
As we age, the vulva and vagina – along with all tissue in our bodies – feel the impacts of lower production of collagen and elastin by our cells. In women, oestrogen is a powerful stimulator of skin cells, keeping them plump and hydrated. So, when that drops off at menopause (either induced or natural), skin is one of the first casualties, getting drier, saggier, and less robust.
This happens all over our bodies, and our vulva and vagina are not spared. In fact, the vagina and vulva have more oestrogen-sensitive cells in them than any other part of our bodies. Atrophic vaginitis can cause significant irritation, dryness and discomfort.
The impact on your sex life from lax vaginal and vulvar tissue cannot be discounted. The sexual and urinary repercussions of stretched or dysfunctional vaginal connective and pelvic tissue, including tendons, ligaments and musculature, have had far less attention than it deserves.
There are genuine consequences of vaginal birth, ageing, and trauma to the pelvis and vaginal tissues. Sadly, it’s still not talked about as often as it should be by women suffering and their healthcare providers. We can talk about vaginas.
Women’s sexuality and vaginas are now getting more attention than ever, and new ways of restoring function are being explored.
Our Intimate Program is a series of treatments tailored for you using our Juliet laser and the ThermiVa radiofrequency device. Using a laser on your vagina may sound scary, but learning how it works and what we’re trying to achieve is far less daunting.
The combination of the RF and laser devices means that several treatment depths can be achieved since both devices target specific layers of tissue. This means more tissue is treated with the combination of devices than just one alone, making for far better, longer-lasting results.
Your initial consultation takes an hour and is usually separate from the treatments in timing and cost. Consultation is with one of our doctors and costs $110.
Vaginal rejuvenation involves non-invasive tissue treatments using energy-based technology. There is no incisions or surgery meaning almost all those who want or need it can undergo treatments .
Once babies are delivered vaginally, and with normal ageing, pelvic tissue can start to loosen, resulting in unpleasant symptoms such as a lack of sexual sensitivity, urinary stress incontinence and vaginal dryness or irritation.
Many vaginal problems can benefit from these treatments, from lichen sclerosus to painful sex. We are missing the true value of these vaginal rejuvenation techniques if we think they are just for vaginal tightening.
Our vaginal rejuvenation treatments are suitable for most women, with a few exceptions. You cannot get treated with lasers or radiofrequency devices if you are pregnant, have an active infection or have uterine prolapse. We assess each of you individually to ensure you will benefit from the treatments, and importantly, remain unharmed.
The treatments – the ThermiVa and Juliet – are high-tech energy-based treatment devices. Technology comes with some risks, though vaginal rejuvenation treatments are low risk, and adverse outcomes are rare.
In our experience, the treatments are well tolerated and effective.
There is scientific evidence of the worth of these treatments for many vulvovaginal issues involving tissue underperformance. Each of you responds a little differently so we can’t predict what the outcome will be specifically. We’ve found everyone gets some benefit from treatments.
We have set up our Intimate Program to include four treatments as standard – two ThermiVa and two Juliet sessions, one month apart – for best results. How you respond will depend on many factors, but that’s our recommendation for best results.
Menopause results in a marked reduction in oestrogen levels, causing some unexpected problems. Oestrogen is responsible for keeping vaginal cells supple and functioning well, so once levels change, vulvovaginal symptoms can appear. Not all women get symptoms, but many do.
Genitourinary symptoms of menopause (GSM) refers to the collection of vulvovaginal symptoms women may experience, including dryness, irritation, itching and discomfort. These treatments are in their element when treating GSM and is usually very successful at alleviating symptoms.
No, vaginal rejuvenation treatments at ENRICH are not surgical. We use two different energy-based devices, the ThermiVa and the Juliet, for treatments. The skin remains intact, and there are no injections, no drugs, and no aftercare required.
Some vaginal rejuvenation techniques require surgery to repair the damage or structurally augment the vagina or vulva, but we do not perform these at our clinic. These techniques would be more likely to be employed in more serious cases where our techniques would be ineffective.
Due to the nature of our ageing bodies, the results of our treatments tend to last for about a year, when repeat treatments are required. Repeat treatments may be avoidable – sometimes, especially in younger women, one set of treatments does the trick, and no more are needed. When we get a bit older, the natural strength and performance of our tissue decline, so treatments are likely to need repeating.
We understand scientifically that laser treatments and radiofrequency do not affect breast milk, and thus vaginal rejuvenation treatments while breastfeeding is declared safe.
There is evidence to suggest that, depending on the cause, women experiencing dyspareunia – or painful sexual intercourse – may benefit from vaginal treatments. The treatments increase blood flow and tissue performance and can make inroads in vulvar or vaginal pain conditions. Speak to your doctor about this, as some issues respond well while others not so much.
It is a well-observed fact that in many women, vaginal rejuvenation treatments can have a dramatic impact on sexual responsiveness, orgasms and overall sexual satisfaction. A lax vulva or vagina can reduce friction during sex, making pleasure and orgasm difficult or impossible to achieve.
Vaginal rejuvenation treatments increase blood flow, strengthen tissue and increase general tone, which in turn increases friction and responsiveness of tissue.
Radiofrequency is being used to modify the appearance of the labia since heat shrinks and remodels collagen. The effect is a ‘tucking in’ of the labia minora and majora (inner and outer vaginal lips) closer to the body. The effect is not dramatic, but the treatment creates a visible impact.
The labia can start to sag as we age, just like everywhere else on our bodies. The labia can stretch during vaginal labour too. While both these occurrences are natural and normal, not everyone is happy with the changes to their body. A radiofrequency treatment, while achieving modest results compared to surgical alternatives, can be enough to provide improved satisfaction. Talk to your practitioner at your appointment about any concerns you may have and they’ll let you know what they can do for you.
There are no restrictions on your bathing routines after vaginal treatments. You can have spas, saunas, swim and have baths. If you experience symptoms such as spotting or irritation after your treatments, speak to your doctor about any modifications to your regular routines, including swimming, in the 24-72 hours after treatments.
You can have sex whenever you want after treatments, but if you experienced irritation or spotting, it could pay to wait a couple of days. You may find that sex feels more pleasurable, since the vagina sees some immediate tightening, though the full treatment results won’t aren’t noticeable until all your treatments are complete and the collagen and elastin fibre production is in full swing.
Adverse reactions to vaginal rejuvenation treatmentscan still happne. The most common post-treatment symptoms reported are some spotting, irritation and possibly some extra discharge. This response is your body responding to a slight irritation and should pass within the week.
Because you will be undergoing more than one treatment, you’ll feel the most impact about a month past your last treatment. You’ll feel an immediate tightening of vulvovaginal tissue and an improvement in the moisture and overall feel of the vulva and vagina. Any symptoms may disappear altogether after just one treatment, but it can take more sessions to make a dent. You’ll certainly feel an effect after one treatment, but the degree of which will be individual. The results will largely depend on what was going on beforehand.
Treatments are very comfortable and do not hurt at all. The handpieces of the Juliet and the ThermiVa are inserted into your vagina and waved across your vulva. Being energy-based, they exert their impact on cells without you feeling much. Your practitioner will make sure you are always comfortable, but the treatments will be over before you know it.
You can go about your normal business as usual after treatments. Some women get some irritation, but this is minor and passes quickly, such as increased discharge for a day or two.
If you experience any pain or irritation that goes beyond what is explained to you, contact the clinic immediately.
At ENRICH, our doctors perform the Juliet and our nurses perform the Thermi Va .
*Results may vary from person to person and depends on the severity of symptoms and issues type.
*With all surgeries or procedures, there are risks. Consult your physician (GP) before undertaking any surgical or cosmetic procedure. Please read the consent forms carefully and be informed about every aspect of your treatment. Some surgeries have a mandatory seven-day cooling-off period to give patients adequate time to be sure of their surgery choice. Results may also vary from person to person due to many factors, including the individual’s genetics, diet and exercise. Before and after photos are only relevant to the patient in the photo and do not necessarily reflect the results other patients may experience. Ask questions. Our team of dermatologists, doctors and nurses are here to help you with any of your queries. This page is not advice and is intended to be informational only. We endeavour to keep all our information up to date; however, this site is intended as a guide and not a definitive information portal or in any way constitutes medical advice.
Menopause is a process that will happen to all women at some point in their life. It is the time when you stop experiencing your monthly period, and it is most often the end of the reproductive lifecycle.
Vaginal rejuvenation involves non-invasive laser and radiofrequency treatments that tighten lax urethral, vaginal and vulvar tissue.
Compounding the benefits of your treatments by combining treatments can make a huge impact on results: the 1 + 1 = 3 effect!
Internal Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation The Juliet with V Spot Erbium: YAG laser is the latest technology in fractional laser systems for gentle, effective vaginal rejuvenation
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Enrich Clinic acknowledges the Traditional Lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong peoples of the East Kulin Nations on which we work and trade. We pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. We extend our acknowledgement and respect to the LGBTQIA+ community who we welcome and support. Read our full Acknowledgement Statement here