I have recently been asked by both my staff and patients why we would bring the O-Shot to help enhance feminine sexual pleasure and vaginal rejuvenation into a dermatology office. My first thought is that as I write this, it is the very end of 2017 and sexual dysfunction is no longer a taboo subject. Pills for male erectile dysfunction are in every magazine, on network television commercials, and part of everyday conversation in medical offices. Would someone have no problem with a man seeking help to enjoy sexual activity while at the same time thinking it would be inappropriate for a woman to pursue the same?
This is a medical condition for which there are very limited options for treatment, the most effective of which is the O-Shot, which can only be administered by a healthcare professional. We are attempting to provide an outlet for treatment to women who may not have somewhere else to turn. In addition to sexual enhancement or vaginal rejuvenation, it is also a very promising treatment for medical conditions affecting the vagina, such as lichen sclerosus.
The O-Shot is a platelet rich plasma (PRP) injection. PRP injections are something we are already doing in our office for hair restoration and for aesthetic rejuvenation of lines and wrinkles on facial skin. The procedure is the same. The target for injection is the only difference between the procedures. Dermatologists are the experts in diseases of the skin, hair, nails, and mucosa. This certainly includes conditions affecting the vaginal mucosa. The vaginal mucosa is not an area that should be foreign or unfamiliar to any dermatologist. Pick up any textbook on dermatology and you are certain to find a section dedicated to genital dermatology. As part of my residency training in dermatology at Indiana University, the dermatology department ran a dyspareunia (painful intercourse) clinic, typically with patients referred from gynecologists for evaluation and treatment.
It is time to shed the stigma attached to feminine sexual dysfunction or even their desire to attain more satisfaction. Dermatologists are well positioned to address these concerns and to provide treatment for these conditions, whether that be with pharmacological treatment or with medical intervention, such as the O-Shot.
Joel Bain Herron, MD
Medical Director
Northeast Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery Center