Cosmetic Surgery & Beauty Magazine #70

genital
lasers&
gynaecology
ADELAIDE GYNAECOLOGIST AND
PELVIC RECONSTRUCTION SURGEON
DR OSEKA ONUMA DISCUSSES THE
GROWING POPUALRITY OF LASERS
IN THE GYNAECOLOGY SECTOR.
Lasers are one of the most well-known tools of medicine
today, and there is a huge variety of lasers with very
specific applications in many industries. Within
medicine, lasers were originally used for their destructive,
excisional and coagulation properties and recently they
have become synonymous with cosmetic medicine and
facial rejuvenation.
Gynaecology was one of the earlier adopters of laser
technology. In 1973 it was used to treat erosions of the
cervix, and soon after for excising or coagulating cervical
pre-cancer lesions and fallopian tube micro-surgery. The
CO 2
laser, originally developed in 1961 was the first laser
used in gynaecological practice in 1973. It was the cost
of laser technology, particularly in the 1990s, which limited
its wider adoption.
In gynaecological practice, depending on the doctor’s
preference and availability, lasers can be used to treat
endometriosis, utero-sacral nerve ablation, division of
adhesions, excision/ablation of cervical and vulval lesions
and ovarian/fallopian tube surgery.
Within the past 20 years, there has been an addition to
the scope of gynaecological use of lasers: the improvement
of quality of life issues such as sexual function. Laser
Vaginal Rejuvenation (LVR), a term coined by a US
gynaecologist, refers to a technique of using a diode laser
as a cutting/dissecting tool when performing prolapse
surgery - surgery designed to correct physical defects but
not addressing sexual issues, rather, simply concerned with
the size of a lump. Laser-assisted vaginal surgery is a more
accurate description of this treatment.
Lasers are now being used in
gynaecology to improve quality of
life issues such as sexual function
The surgery remains controversial, not due to its efficacy
but rather because the concept of female sexual function
is not routinely taught in specialist gynaecological training.
There has been a struggle to place women and their needs
at the forefront of treatment and this remains a significant
issue in current gynaecological practice. A variety of
terminologies, seemingly pejorative, such as vaginoplasty,
vaginal rejuvenation, cosmetic gynaecology, cosmetogynaecology,
designer vagina, has been used for laserassisted
vaginal therapy adding to the controversy.
78 www.cosbeauty.com.au