The passage of time changes every part of our bodies. For women, this includes the vagina and vulva. While we all expect the wrinkles, sagging skin, and hormonal changes that come with aging, most of us didn’t expect to even consider any treatments for vaginal rejuvenation.
Reality is, pregnancy and childbirth, and the natural aging of our tissues can create issues with dryness, internal and external looseness, decreased sensitivity, and even urinary incontinence. That’s why more and more women are opting to have vaginal rejuvenation procedures.
At the Northwest Women’s Center, we offer Votiva, a non-surgical vaginal rejuvenation treatment at our Houston office. Votiva targets both the internal and external changes that occur with our vagina and vulva.
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What is Votiva?
Votiva is an FDA-approved device that uses radiofrequency energy waves to heat and stimulates the cells of the vagina and vulva. This increases collagen and elastin production. The Votiva system from InMode utilizes two different modalities to address both external and internal slackening of the vaginal tissues due to childbirth and the effects of a general aging. Votiva uses FormaV to deliver thermal tissue remodeling of both internal and external tissues. FractoraV provides radiofrequency energy for tissue contraction on the outer vaginal tissues.
Who is a good candidate for Votiva Treatments?
Votiva procedures are intended for women who want to reverse the results of pregnancy, delivery, and natural aging on their vaginal tissues. This would include women after childbirth, perimenopausal and menopausal women, women who want enhanced sexual sensation, women who have some degree of urinary incontinence, and women who want some vaginal cosmetic improvements. These are generally conditions experienced by women approaching menopause or who have completed it.
These are some specific symptoms that good candidates may be experiencing:
- Increased vaginal dryness
- Reduced vaginal sensation
- Increased sexual dysfunction
- Pain during intercourse
- Urinary incontinence from pressure such as coughing
- Redness in the vaginal tissues
- Slight vaginal discharge
What are the benefits of Votiva?
Our Northwest Women’s Center patients note many benefits from the dual treatments of Votiva:
- Improves vaginal dryness
- Decreases laxity in the vagina
- Reduces the wrinkled appearance of the external vaginal tissues
- Increases blood flow
- Strengthens muscles of the vagina
- Enhances vaginal sensitivity
- Decreases pain during intercourse
- Improves mild to moderate urinary incontinence
- Decreases pain caused by labial hypertrophy
- Decreases excess labial tissue
How does Votiva Vaginal Rejuvenation work?
Votiva treatments at Northwest Women’s Center make use of two handheld devices — FormaV and FractoraV. This is a great advantage of Votiva, as it is the only platform for vaginal rejuvenation that can treat both internal and external tissues and laxity. Here’s how the two parts of Votiva treatments are done.
FormaV
FormaV delivers heat to both internal and external tissues to address hypertrophy of the labia and vaginal laxity. The heat is delivered incrementally as the handpiece is inserted and moved from back to front in the vagina. FormaV uses non-ablative radiofrequency energy to gently heat the mucosa and external labia tissues for up to 30 minutes. FormaV continually monitors vaginal lining temperatures to ensure comfort and safety.
FractoraV
FractoraV uses fractional resurfacing to rejuvenate the outer tissues. The patient receives topical anesthetic over the treatment area. Then the handpiece is lightly pressed on the skin delivering radiofrequency contraction to the external tissues. An array of tiny pins creates slight punctures in the skin and delivers radiofrequency energy.
The handpiece is moved either vertically or horizontally with an overlap of 30 to 50 percent from the previous pass. This results in localized heating and coagulation of the tissue that is in direct contact with the pins. Fractional coagulation promotes remodeling of the skin’s collagen, tightening the tissues. Plus, the untreated tissue between the pins promotes rapid healing of the tiny punctures. The body also reacts to the punctures as if wounded, producing new collagen to “heal” the perceived wound, improving and tightening the skin over the next weeks.
How do I prepare for a Vaginal Rejuvenation Treatment?
Preparation is minimal. Patients need to avoid intercourse for 24 hours before their Votiva session. You’ll also need to stop taking any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication for three days prior. You should not be on your menstrual cycle when having these treatments.
Can I have these treatments if I plan on having children?
These procedures only initiate the body to improve the skin tone and firmness. They in no way have any impact on reproductive capability or function.
How long before I see results from my Votiva Treatments?
Each patient’s response time can vary. Most patients tell us they experience an immediate change in sensation and tightening, as the existing collagen remodels. But these procedures deliver most of their results in the weeks following your treatments. Your vaginal tightness and the appearance of your labia continue to improve as the collagen and elastin production is ramped up as the body’s response to the RF energy.
How long will my results last with Votiva?
The new collagen and elastin produced are not going anywhere. The problem is, your body’s production of collagen and elastin decreases by one additional percentage point every year after your 20th birthday. So, by your 50th birthday, your body is producing one third less collagen. That’s why your skin slackens with age. This creates lines and wrinkles and thinning skin on the face. In the vaginal area, it creates laxity and sagging labia. You should experience a difference in sensation, tightness, and appearance for up to one year. Yearly treatments can maintain your results.
How many Votiva Treatments will I need?
Northwest Women’s Center, we recommend a series of three Votiva treatments utilizing both FormaV and FractoraV. These treatments should be spaced from 4-6 weeks apart. That would be your initial rejuvenation. From there, most of our Votiva patients come back for a maintenance session once yearly.
Do these Votiva Treatments hurt?
FormaV is completely painless. Patients say the treatment merely delivers a warm sensation to the treated areas. Because FractoraV involves fractional resurfacing, there can be some slight discomfort, but we apply topical numbing anesthetic prior to that portion of your Votiva session.
What are the risks involved with Votiva Treatments?
These are non-invasive procedures and have proven to have little risk. There are no incisions, so there isn’t any risk of infection. After FractoraV treatment, patients can experience some slight swelling, but this typically settles down in a day or two. Any pain is easily managed with over-the-counter pain medication.
As for dos and don’ts, patients need to simply abstain from intercourse for three days after their Votiva treatments and to avoid hot tubs, pools, and hot baths for the same period.
Schedule Your Votiva Consultation Today
If you are interested in learning more about the vaginal rejuvenation options offered at our Houston office, please contact us for a consultation at 281.444.3440 or fill out our contact us form. We will discuss your needs and concerns, and determine your best course of action.