"It helps me feel like I can be in touch with being a woman again."
- LORI
Mona Lisa Touch: An Innovative Treatment For Vaginal Health
The latest medical conferences and journal articles (Lasers in Surgery and Medicine) in 2021 show that Mona Lisa is still the best and safest for menopausal vaginal symptoms. Dr. Howlin was the first physician in Michigan to employ this technology.
Have you experienced changes in your vaginal health since menopause? Did you know that over 40% of post-menopausal women experience symptoms such as dryness, itching, burning, painful urination or pain during intercourse?
Even with the passage of time, many women still retain their youthful energy and enthusiasm, but post-menopausal changes can affect a woman’s quality of life in unexpected ways. Hormone replacement therapy may not be the best option for a lot of patients, especially those with a history of venous thrombosis or breast cancer. This is an alternative therapy for vaginal revitalization that can help millions of women restore normal function. Results are biopsy proven and safe world wide.
Chelsea Medicine & Laser offers Mona Lisa Touch Therapy to help with these issues. Mona Lisa Touch is a gentle laser energy to the vaginal wall that stimulates a healing response, generating new collagen in the tissue and enhanced moisture levels in the vaginal canal. A typical course of treatment is three procedures spaced 6 weeks apart over 12 weeks.
In-office procedure:
No anesthesia, virtually painless
No downtime
No side effects. Each treatment is < 5 minutes
Thousands of women have been treated worldwide since 2008
Dr. Howlin also treats the introitus, the area that is exterior to the vagina which keeps it elastic and moist. It is used off label for other conditions such as lichen sclerosis of the vulva, which can alleviate the need for topical steroids. Additionally, the bladder neck is treated as an off label use of the laser to help reduce urinary symptoms such as incontinence and urgency. There are special laser settings for these treatments and Dr. Howlin is specialty trained in this application.
In both European and U.S. clinical trials, most women reported symptom relief after the very first treatment and even greater improvement after treatments 2 and 3. A single annual touch up treatment is needed to maintain results.
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS THE MONALISA TOUCH?
MonaLisa Touch is a medical laser that delivers controlled energy to the vaginal tissue to revitalize the cells in the vaginal mucosa (vaginal tissue) so that these cells make more collagen, an essential ingredient in vaginal cell health. Dr. Howlin has used this laser for over five years with excellentresults.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
MonaLisa Touch implements CO2 laser energy that is delivered via side-firing probe inserted into the vaginal canal. A two-part pulse targets surface (epithelial) tissue and deep (lamina propria) tissue to promote vaginal mucosal revitalization. The latest medical data (August 2020) shows that the vaginal tissue can be primed with vaginal estrogen to augment results.
WHAT CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED ON THE MONALISA TOUCH?
Amultisite study was conducted by Dr. Micky Karram, Director of Fellowship Program on Female Pelvic Medicine & Reconstructive Surgery at The Christ Hospital, Cincinnati, OH and Dr. Eric Sokol, Associated Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Stanford University Medical Center. Preliminary findings from a trial evaluating the laser treatment on postmenopausal women* and breast cancer survivors experiencing vaginal health issues show positive results.
The trial assessed the use of CO2 fractional lasertherapy on 30 women with vaginal health issue due to natural or induced menopause. All patients in the trail were treated with the MonaLisa Touch.
WHERE CAN I HAVE THIS DONE?
The MonaLisa Touch is an in-office procedure performed by Dr. Howlin at Chelsea Laser and aesthetics.
DOES THE PROCEDURE HURT?
The procedure is virtually painless and requires no anesthesia. Some patients may experience some discomfort due to dryness the first time the probe is inserted, but the actual treatment is not painful. Many patients report that it feels like a gentle vibration.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE?
Patients receive three treatments, spaced six weeks apart, which each take less than five minutes to perform.
WHEN WILL I SEE RESULTS?
Most patients feel improvement after the very first treatment, although the procedure calls for three treatments that are generally spaced over a 12-week period.
HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?
Patients should expect to return for a maintenance treatment between 6and 12 months. MonaLisa Touch was the first available outside the US where more than 5,000 patients have been treated worldwide with up to an 18-month follow-up. Dr. Howlin has followed her own patients for up to five years and they have lasting results, as long as they have a single touch up treatment annually from 6-12 months after treatment.
WHAT ARE MY LIMITATIONS AFTER THE PROCEDURE IS DONE?
Patients should refrain from sexual activity for 6-7 days. Dr. Howlin will determine a post-procedure regimen that is right for you. She frequently recommends keeping the tissue elastic while showering, which will be explained.
FOR WHICH PATIENTS IS THIS TREATMENT APPROPRIATE?
The MonaLisa Touch is appropriate for any woman who has gone through menopause, as well as those who are experiencing post-menopausal symptoms as a result of a hysterectomy or breast cancer treatments.
IS THE PROCEDURE SAFE FOR WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER?
Yes, the MonaLisa Touch treatment is particularly well suited for patients who cannot, or prefer not to receive estrogen therapy.
WILL THE PROCEDURE BE COVERED BY INSURANCE?
This procedure is not covered by insurance. We offer a partial “scholarship” for breast cancer survivors.
*Women in the study either experienced natural menopause or induced menopause as the result of hysterectomy or drug-induced suppression of ovarian function (chemotherapy, radiations, anticancer drugs such as tamoxifen)