No more hush hush about vaginal rejuvenation

Women are discovering the benefits of vaginal rejuvenation, writes Latoya Newman

WHEN Hollywood celebrity Jada Pinkett-Smith recently discussed how much younger she felt down there – post a vaginal rejuvenation procedure – she opened up a new discussion around a topic that is still largely hush-hush.

But a local specialist who specialises in vaginal rejuvenation said that in South Africa the procedure is being embraced, with a rapid increase in women doing it and realising they no longer have to “suffer in silence”.

Pinkett-Smith, who shared her journey via her web television talk show, Red

Table Talk, said she introduced her mom, Adrienne Banfield-Jones, to the procedure – which by that time she’d undergone a few times already.

“A lot of women focus on keeping it (their vagina) healthy for sex or for a man, but you gotta do it for your health. When I tell you my yoni (vagina) is like a 16-year-old’s, I’m not kidding,” Pinkett-Smith said

And she’s not the first celeb to go for the procedure and love it. Cynthia Bailey (Real Housewives of Atlanta) and Sonja Morgan (Real Housewives of New York) have come out in public about having the procedure.

One of the benefits of vaginal rejuvenation is that it eliminates pain during sex, dryness, appearance flaws, stress incontinence (uncontrollable loss of urine, like peeing yourself when you sneeze). In Pinkett-Smith’s case, she said she had “bladder issues”.

We touch base with Dr Manoj Bagwandeen at the Cape Medical Aesthetics Centre (Cape-MAC) in Cape Town to find out more about the procedure.

Bagwandeen, a registered medical doctor with a special interest in “medical aesthetics”, said: “Vaginal rejuvenation refers to specific medical and surgical procedures that seek to enhance vaginal health and function which may be negatively affected by the normal ageing process and normal childbirth, or previous trauma to the vaginal area.

“These conditions include vaginal laxity, stress urinary incontinence, dyspareunia (pain during intercourse) and even to enhance sexual pleasure.”

Bagwandeen said the world was rapidly moving towards non-invasive or minimally invasive medical procedures, and aesthetic gynaecology was no different.

Surgical interventions were now a last resort in many medical treatments, particularly due to the risks and down time associated with surgery, he added.

“Vaginal rejuvenation procedures usually involve the use of very specific laser devices to treat the internal and external skin and tissue of the vaginal area; the use of radio-frequency-based devices to also induce tightening of the skin; and ultrasound devices and use of dermal fillers to induce tightening of the area,” he said.

Lasers, radio-frequency, ultrasound, and fillers have been successfully used in modern medicine for many years. “Their application to vaginal health is also not new, and there have been great advances during the past 10 years with regards to their effective and proven applications to female genital health,” he said.

Bagwandeen said medical issues such as stress urinary incontinence, vaginal laxity and poor sexual experience due to functional issues had long been swept under the carpet for women, but that this was changing.

“Women now live longer and want and expect good health to match the longevity – sexual health included.”

Natural childbirth is back on the increase and more women are experiencing deterioration in vaginal health and functioning post-delivery.

This not only affects their relationships, but also impacts on their confidence and mental health. Vaginal rejuvenation procedures now offer safe and easily accessible treatment options for many previously “taboo” female medical conditions,” he said.

And while Pinkett-Smith got us talking about it, Bagwandeen said vaginal rejuvenation was not just another celebrity fad.

“It heralds another dawn in the female liberation struggle and for women’s rights. Women have long been taught to ‘grin and bear it’ when it came to the issues discussed. They no longer need to. This will not only improve their health and well-being, but will also positively impact on their self-confidence and relationships,” he said.

Aesthetic and regenerative medicine is a relatively new sector of modern medicine and probably the fastest-growing sector internationally.

“The South African medical fraternity is still rather conservative and has not embraced modern aesthetic medicine to the extent many other parts of the world have. Having said that, there are a growing number of South African medical professionals in the various specialties who are now realising the value and purpose of such interventions,” he said.

Bagwandeen warned that women wishing to have such procedures needed to consult with registered and properly-trained medical specialists.