Keto crotch: Is it real and how to treat it
Vaginal Dryness Alternative Treatments
Beyond menopause, certain medications and immune disorders can also cause vaginal dryness. Your healthcare provider can help you determine the right treatment for this condition, which may mean estrogen therapy or alternative methods, such as topical creams or dietary changes.
Vaginal dryness is an uncomfortable and often painful condition that occurs naturally during and after menopause. Menopause causes estrogen levels to decline, which causes the dryness.
Vaginal dryness is very common in women going through menopause and for postmenopausal women as well. Here are some common causes:
Decreased estrogenEstrogen is a hormone that's essential to keeping vaginal tissues healthy. This hormone helps to maintain the vagina's normal lubrication, acidity levels, and elasticity. Therefore, when estrogen levels decline, the lining of the vagina becomes thinner and less elastic, and the vagina produces less lubrication.
Estrogen levels can drop during and after menopause, during childbirth, and during periods of breastfeeding. You may also experience a loss of estrogen if you smoke cigarettes, have had your ovaries removed, have been treated for cancer, or have certain immune disorders.
MedicationsSome medications cause dryness throughout the body, including inside the vagina. Cold and allergy medicines can have this effect, as can some antidepressants. Chemotherapy medications, such as those used to fight breast cancer, can also cause dryness.
Other causesThere are a few additional, but less common, reasons why you may experience vaginal dryness.
If you use a store-bought vaginal cleanser or douche, for instance, you're disrupting the natural balance of chemicals in your vagina. This can cause inflammation and dryness.
A rare autoimmune disease called Sjögren's syndrome, which causes dryness in the eyes and mouth, can also cause vaginal dryness.
While it may seem embarrassing to bring up the topic of vaginal dryness with your healthcare provider, it's an important medical condition and should be addressed sooner rather than later. The dryness can make you uncomfortable and can hinder your relationship because it can make sex very painful.
As soon as dryness begins to interfere with your lifestyle, make an appointment with your healthcare provider.
At your appointment, your doctor will likely ask you several questions about your symptoms, some of which may seem unrelated. Make sure to inform your doctor of all prescription and over-the-counter medications you're taking. Your doctor will also conduct a physical exam, which includes a pelvic exam.
During a pelvic exam, your doctor will press down on your abdomen while also inserting a gloved, lubricated finger into your vagina. This will help them detect any changes or abnormalities of the reproductive organs.
If your doctor is unable to pinpoint a cause for your dryness, or if you have other symptoms, you may need to undergo additional tests.
You may need to have a Pap test, which is when your doctor collects cells from your cervix to test for infection and cancer. You may also have a sample from your vaginal tissues removed for testing.
Once your doctor knows the underlying cause of your dryness, you'll be given treatment options. Although estrogen therapy is a common treatment, there are alternative options as well.
Hormone therapy may not be the right treatment for everyone. Some women aren't good candidates for hormones because of a past history of disease, such as cancer.
Replacing natural estrogen can help with dryness, but can also trigger side effects. These include:
There are several alternatives to estrogen therapy that work very well and are often worth trying before using estrogen therapy. They include the following:
Talk to your doctor before taking any kind of herbal medicine, as it may interfere with other medications, vitamins, or other herbs you're currently taking.
In addition to these alternatives, it's also a good idea to avoid vaginal cleansers or douches. These products will only make dryness worse. And while dryness can make sex uncomfortable, having intercourse more regularly actually promotes natural lubrication.
Vaginal dryness is an uncomfortable condition, but it can be managed and treated.
Why Vagina Makeovers Are Booming: The Five Treatments You NEED To Know About If You're Over 40
Last week, I found myself discussing labia over lunch with a beauty PR in Mayfair — not a subject I normally venture anywhere near. But 'vaginal health and wellness' is such a hot topic among the over-40s that I bet you might soon be doing as I did.
Blame it on menopausal women no longer suffering in silence and finding ways to offset the multiple debilitating consequences of their life stage.
Or point to the dawning realisation that non-surgical 'tweakments' designed to counteract collagen loss in the face can translate quite seamlessly to your nether regions. Either way, the truth is out there — and the 'down below' makeover is upon us.
A level of urinary incontinence, lack of lubrication, burning, itching and even discomfort when sitting can all become part of life as we age and/or go through menopause
The reality is that age and menopause bring about a loss of hydrating, plumping and supportive collagen in the vulvo-vaginal area, and this leads to more trouble than your mum ever told you about. A level of urinary incontinence, lack of lubrication, burning, itching and even discomfort when sitting (due to, wait for it, atrophy of the labia) can all, to a greater or lesser extent, become part of life.
Child-bearing, meanwhile, can damage bladder nerves, pelvic muscles and supportive vaginal tissues, leading to still more bladder leaks.
And the good news? You no longer have to put up with it 'because it's natural'.
'My patients want to take control of their bodies,' says Galyna Selezneva (at drritarakus.Co.Uk), an aesthetic medical doctor with a background in gynaecology who's become the go-to 'vagina whisperer' for London's well-heeled.
She's noticed a tendency for women to reinvent themselves post-partum or when hitting menopause, divorce, the death of a partner, an empty nest — 'milestones that are life-changing but needn't be the end of life as you know it'.
Selezneva, whose vaginal tweakment-clientele breaks down as '60 per cent in her 50s-60s, 20 per cent upwards of 70, and the other 20 per cent roughly in her 40s', estimates that her bookings in the past two years have increased 'by about two thirds'.
She says women now broach the subject without prompting, and talk about function and strength rather than aesthetics, which used to be the main driver for 'downstairs' procedures.
Her sentiments are echoed by consultant gynaecologist Miss Tania Adib (adib.Org.Uk).
'I've noticed a significant uptick in women wanting vaginal laser, injectables and other regenerative treatments,' she says. 'They are doing it for themselves: they want to feel and look good, as well as enjoy the benefits of improved sensation that often come along.'
The menu of options is bewildering, as well as sounding terrifying. As with facial tweakments, most procedures are based on stimulating cell regeneration through heat, or by injecting substances.
Unsurprisingly, in some cases local anaesthetic is required to get through the procedure, though none require any recovery time. Needless to say, you want to seek out a highly experienced medical doctor who's well versed in gynaecology.
As for your modesty, try to forget about it altogether. I suggest you check out your doctor's bedside manner in advance: you're going to want it to be excellent.
These are the five most popular and effective V-tweaks.
Inge van Lotringen uncovers the most popular and effective vagina 'tweakments' out there
For a toned vagina, just sit back and relaxEmsella high-intensity elecromagnetic muscle stimulation (Dr Selezneva at Rita Rakus clinic, Knightsbridge, drritarakus.Co.Uk)
What is it? Kegel exercises are the gold standard for strengthening pelvic floor muscles that no longer effectively control the urge to pee, and this machine, which is basically a chair, delivers the equivalent of 11,000 muscle contractions in half an hour. The best thing? You just sit on it, fully clothed.
What happens? The intense, bizarre, but not painful energy just travels up your vajayjay in waves while you read a magazine.
Results and cost? With multiple reasons for a leaky bladder, Adib advises an internal examination to determine whether weak muscle tone is your issue before you shell out for this treatment. If it is, four to six sessions, a few days apart, make a significant difference to those leaks caused by coughing, laughing, or simply the knowledge that a loo is near. Single sessions are roughly £200, while Emsella treatment packages can cost from £850 to as much as £2,000 for six sessions.
For plumper lady bits and bladder controlEmfemme 360 radiofrequency vaginal remodelling (Dr Selezneva at Rita Rakus clinic)
What is it? Radiofrequency heat at a relatively comfortable 42c gently ramps up collagen production, including in and around the vagina and vulva.
This improves 'hugginess and plumpiness' of the labia, as Selezneva memorably puts it. 'It also ramps up internal lubrication and can soothe the itching and burning that can happen when tissues whither,' she says.
Importantly, the 'collagen remodelling' strengthens the vaginal walls and their ability to support the bladder, while the heat calms down an overactive bladder, so incontinence is controlled.
What happens? The recently launched Emfemme 360 and its previous incarnation, the UltraFemme, treat the vagina in eight minutes and the vulva in about 12.
The heat is mild and Dr Selezneva explains that 'the vaginal skin has no pain nerve endings. Underlying structures like muscles and fascia [thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fiber and muscle in place] do have a pain response, as does the uterus'.
But there is no getting around the fact that the 'treatment head' is basically a heated, um, 'wand' (in a choice of two sizes) that's moved in and out and all about while you lie back and think of England.
Results and cost? Three sessions are advised. Some notice increased lubrication after a single treatment, but plumper tissues and increased comfort and bladder control will happen about three months after your last session. Costs start at £350 for single internal-only sessions, but Selezneva charges £3,200 for a full course combining internal and external treatment.
For tissue regeneration and lubricationFractional vaginal laser (Tania Adib at The Medical Chambers, Kensington, adib.Org.Uk)
What is it? A vaginal laser causes tiny micro-lacerations in order to set off a healing 'collagen remodelling response' inside the vagina and at its entrance, thickening and tightening the tissues for comfort and bladder support. The procedure is particularly 'awesome for fixing dryness', says Adib, who uses the 'best-researched fractional carbon dioxide laser for the purpose,' the MonaLisa Touch.
What happens? Your doctor will insert a small probe to deliver the laser energy; it takes just five minutes.
It's painless because of the absence of vaginal pain fibres, but 'the vulvo-vaginal entrance is often where the main dryness issue is and it's one of the most sensitive parts of the body, so I will apply numbing cream there before treatment,' says Adib.
There is a small risk of burns and loss of sensation (choose a highly experienced specialist) and you might feel mild irritation for a day or so after the procedure.
Results and cost? You need three treatments initially, followed by maintenance ones every year or so. Ninety per cent of patients get good results after three sessions; some notice improvement after just one. Adib charges £1,800 for the course and £650 for a single session.
For boosting collagen — and orgasmsIntimate PRP (Tania Adib at The Medical Chambers)
What is it? Platelet-rich plasma therapy or PRP is where a small amount of your blood is put in a centrifuge for a few minutes to separate the plasma, which is rich in regenerative growth factors.
These can be injected into the vagina to 'bulk and strengthen the collagen around the urethra to keep them strong, and in the vulva to help regenerate dry, rigid tissues,' says Adib.
And there is an additional application: 'PRP injections in the clitoral hood tighten the tissue, improving orgasm intensity.' Who knew?
What happens? Numbing cream is applied before the jabs, topped up with an analgesic injection if you're having your clitoris treated. Thank God. There might be some temporary spotting and bruising after treatment. The whole procedure takes about an hour.
Results and cost? Adib charges from £1,150 for the procedure and follow-up. You will notice full results after three months, and they typically last a year.
For labia cushioning, tautness and moistureVulva fillers and boosters (Sarah Tonks at The Lovely Clinic, Chelsea, thelovelyclinic.Co.Uk)
What is it? Desirial Plus is a different kind of 'lip filler': a dense hyaluronic acid gel, it's specifically designed to re-cushion the outer labia, which can lose density and tone as collagen is lost. Plumping of the outer labia also works to provide protection for the labia minora if these are exposed and are causing discomfort.
'It works a treat but you need quite a lot of product,' says cosmetic physician Dr Sarah Tonks, who also uses sister product Desirial, an injectable hydrator. Injected at the mouth of the vagina, it spreads to restore moisture, tone and tautness.
What happens? 'To inject the inside and mouth of the vagina you use a tampon with numbing gel an hour in advance so you don't feel the jabs,' says Tonks. 'The worst bit is the numbing injections for the outer labia — after that, it's easy.'
Some bruising is possible, as is a very minor risk of lumps and encapsulation, so these treatments should only be entrusted to very qualified doctors.
Results and cost: Desirial Plus filler can last a few years, while Desirial hydrating injections last six-to-nine months. Desirial starts at £500; for Desirial Plus, two syringes of product costs £1,445.
Guide To Vaginal Lumps And Bumps
When people refer to the vagina, they're often referring to both the internal organ (the vagina) and external genitalia, known as the vulva.
The term "vulva" encompasses the:
The vagina is a muscular tube that leads to your cervix, which is the opening to your uterus.
The top layer of tissue in your vagina is mucous membrane, similar to tissue in your mouth or nose.
The bumps and ridges on the surface of your vagina are called rugae. They're like folds or pleats of extra tissue when your vagina is relaxed. During sex or childbirth, rugae enable your vagina to expand.
The vulva includes several organs:
Here are 10 possible causes for changes to the skin of your vulva and vagina:
Vulvar cystsYour vulva has many glands, including oil glands, Bartholin's glands, and Skene's glands. If these glands become clogged, a cyst can form.
Cysts vary in size, but most feel like small, hard lumps. They aren't usually painful unless they become infected.
Cysts typically go away without treatment. If a cyst becomes infected, a doctor can drain it. If there are signs of infection, you may be prescribed antibiotics.
Vaginal cystsThere are several types of vaginal cysts. Vaginal cysts are firm lumps on the wall of the vagina. They're usually about the size of a pea or smaller.
Vaginal inclusion cysts are the most common type of vaginal cyst. They sometimes form after childbirth or injury to the vagina.
Vaginal cysts usually aren't painful. They're rarely a cause for concern unless they cause discomfort during penetration. Occasionally, vaginal cysts need to be drained or removed surgically.
Fordyce spotsFordyce spots, or sebaceous glands, are small white or yellow-white bumps inside the vulva. These spots can also be found on the lips and cheeks.
They normally first appear during puberty. You tend to get more of them as you age.
Fordyce spots are painless and not harmful.
VaricositiesVaricosities are swollen veins that can occur around your vulva. According to a 2017 study, they happen in up to 34% of people with varicose veins in the pelvis and up to 22% of pregnant people.
They appear as bluish raised bumps or round swollen veins around the labia. You may not experience pain, but sometimes they can feel heavy, cause itching, or bleed.
You may have discomfort with penetration or when standing for long periods. A doctor specializing in vein surgery and treatment can treat this condition.
But no treatment is usually needed if you're pregnant. Varicosities usually recede about 6 weeks after childbirth. They do often reoccur with any subsequent pregnancies, though.
Ingrown hairShaving, waxing, or plucking pubic hair increases your risk of ingrown pubic hair.
Ingrown hair can cause a small, round, sometimes painful, itchy bump to form. The bump may be filled with pus, and the skin around it may also become darker.
In most cases, ingrown hairs resolve without treatment. But if inflammation develops, visit a doctor. It could be a sign of infection that needs treatment.
Skin tagsSkin tags, or polyps, are small, protruding flaps of extra skin. They don't cause harm or discomfort unless they rub against something and become irritated.
If your skin tags are bothersome, a doctor can remove them surgically or with a laser.
Lichen sclerosusLichen sclerosus mainly occurs after menopause. It's not a common skin condition.
Lichen sclerosus is most often seen on the vulva and around the anus. Symptoms may include:
Corticosteroid cream or ointment can typically treat lichen sclerosis. However, the condition may return after treatment. People with lichen sclerosus have a slightly increased risk of vulvar cancer.
Genital herpesGenital herpes is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). HSV is transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin contact.
Often, the symptoms are so mild that many people with herpes aren't aware they have the condition.
When an outbreak occurs, symptoms may include:
Herpes symptoms often clear up and then return. Over time, most people experience fewer and less severe outbreaks.
There's currently no cure for genital herpes, but you can manage the severity and duration of symptoms with antiviral medications.
Genital wartsGenital warts are caused by infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) and are transmitted through intimate skin-to-skin contact.
Many people have genital warts and don't know it. If you have symptoms, they may include:
There's currently no cure for genital warts, but a doctor can remove them by using a prescription cream, laser, or surgery.
Some types of HPV can increase your risk of cervical cancer. If you have genital warts, visit a healthcare professional for a Pap test to see what type of HPV caused the warts.
CancerCancers of the vulva or vagina are rare. Symptoms of precancerous and cancerous vulvar and vaginal conditions may include:
To diagnose vulvar and vaginal cancers, a doctor takes a tissue sample from lesions and examines it under a microscope.
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