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Vaginal Rejuvenation and the DiVa® Laser

Are you thinking about vaginal rejuvenation? Are you overwhelmed by the choices on the market? Rest assured, Dr. Rodgers has done the research for you and offers the most advanced vaginal treatment for her patients. Sciton® has been the “gold standard” when it comes to face and body lasers and they have created a handpiece for its diVa laser that surpasses other vaginal renewal devices. DiVa® vaginal laser therapy not only helps women feel younger and more confident, but it also treats vaginal dysfunction that lowers sex drive. Poor vaginal health can further lead to urinary incontinence, dryness, atrophy, painful intercourse and urination, and an increase in vaginal infections. 

The leading treatments on the market include diVa®, Femtouch™, and MonaLisa Touch. Let’s take a minute to break down the differences between these devices.

Factors to be Considered

  1. Customization 
    • diVa® by Sciton is 100% customizable.  Both the depth and density of the laser  can be adjusted to address the specific needs of patients. The angle of the laser can also be controlled and switched from 90, 180, to 360 degrees. The ability of the laser to adjust the angle allows the health care provider to direct the heat to the specific area that requires the treatment without heating excessively other areas that may not need it. The handpiece automatically rotates with high precision and ensures the safest and best outcomes for patients. MonaLisa Touch and FemTouch™ do not have customizable settings and the provider manually rotates the handpiece which can affect consistency of treatment and overall results. 
  2. Treatment Times
    • diVa® treatments last approximately 5 minutes each. MonaLisa Touch treatments last about 15 minutes and FemTouch™ sessions take approximately 20 minutes. 
    • Decreased time for treatment lessens the discomfort for the patient.
  3. Functional Concerns
    • diVa® increases collagen production along the entire vaginal wall. It helps strengthen the tissue that supports the bladder and urethra and thus helps reduce urinary incontinence. MonaLisa Touch and FemTouch™ are currently used only  for vaginal atrophy. 
  4. Technology
    • diVa® is the only hybrid fractional laser made up of dual wavelengths including Erbium YAG and Diode. This special feature of the laser allows providers to precisely customize treatment to address a patient’s needs. This laser can reach a maximum depth of 800 microns while the MonaLisa Touch is a CO2 laser that cannot achieve the same precision and reaches a depth of only 200 microns. The diVa® laser uses a vaginal dilator that is disposable so that the laser never comes into contact with the patient. Sterility is also preserved as the dilator is used for only one patient and is thrown away after use.
  5. Laxity
    • The diVa® laser is able to target both the outer layers and deeper layers within the vaginal wall which allows for ultimate collagen production. This strengthens the entire canal to improve laxity and , at the same time, it decrease symptoms of urinary incontinence. The FemTouch™ and MonaLisa Touch are both CO2 lasers that are limited in depth and can only treat the superficial vaginal wall.  Furthermore, these two lasers  have been shown to cause more tissue damage in the vaginal area because they do not have the ability to leave healthy islands of tissue behind.
  6. Downtime
    • diVa® has little downtime and requires 48 hours of vaginal rest. In other words, the recovery time is quicker and one can resume all activities, both physical and sexual, after that time.  Treatments are spaced 4 weeks apart and 3-5 treatments are recommended. MonaLisa Touch requires 48-72 hours downtime with treatments spaced 1-2 months apart. FemTouch™ treatments are recommended monthly for 4-6 treatments. 
  7. Results 
    • diVa® has been shown to treat vaginal atrophy, vaginal dryness, and urinary incontinence. MonaLisa Touch and FemTouch™ treat only vaginal atrophy. 
    • With its sophisticated laser technology, one can customize treatment to a specific problem area and thus avoid any excessive heat treatments to areas that do not need it.
    • diVa treatments can also be combined at the same time with O shot treatments, which further increase a woman’s ability to experience orgasm during intercourse and rescue urinary incontinence. A win -win treatment!

by Kendall Peterson