Let’s Talk About…Menopause

Why Menopausal Health is Important.

Women are becoming outspoken about their health issues, which is a significant breakthrough as in the past, many were too embarrassed to, even if it was causing them significant discomfort. The media is also increasingly focussing on women’s health, and due to living longer lives with more freedom, women are refusing to accept spending an increasingly significant portion of their lives in discomfort.

There are 3.5 million women over the age of 50 in the UK workforce, and half of them have admitted to finding work difficult due to symptoms of the menopause, while 10% of menopausal women have given up work altogether as a result of their symptoms. At Elite Aesthetics, we find that there is a real need to raise awareness about the impact that menopause has on the lives, careers and happiness of women, and the alternatives that are available to them.

Women are also finding themselves entering into new relationships later in life, and the idea that women’s sex lives should end after the menopause is a thing of the past. Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) affects an estimated half of postmenopausal women, and is caused by lowered estrogen levels after the menopause. GSM has a variety of symptoms, including vaginal dryness and itching, pain during sex (dyspareunia), increased urinary urgency, frequency, and susceptibility to urinary tract infections.  Women are often too embarrassed to seek treatment for GSM, as well as the fact that healthcare professionals often do not screen for GSM as a routine part of women’s healthcare, leading to significant underdiagnosis and undertreatment rates. GSM is a chronic, progressive condition that without treatment, is unlikely to resolve itself.

Despite this, there are a variety of safe and effective treatments available to treat GSM and its associated symptoms, including low-dose vaginal estrogen therapy, hormone treatments and radiofrequency treatments.

As the taboos around sex, women’s health and the menopause are breaking down, the options available to women and their intimate health have huge potential to make an impact on their lives. At Elite Aesthetics, we see that many women suffer unnecessarily through the menopause, and offer a variety of aesthetic and non-surgical treatments to help women enjoy this time in their lives and feel like themselves again.

What is the Menopause?

The majority of women will go through the menopause, generally between the ages of 45 and 55, but every woman’s experience will be different.

During the menopause, egg production in the ovaries stops, resulting in hormone levels changing, which triggers the common symptoms of the menopause many women struggle with. These symptoms include hot flushes, urinary incontinence, insomnia, a decrease in libido and vaginal dryness, as well as external signs of ageing, like wrinkles and sagging or drooping skin.

Symptoms of the Menopause.

The symptoms of the menopause affect many of the body’s systems, including:

• The occurrence of hot flushes and night sweats (the vasomotor system).
• An increased likelihood of depression and anxiety, mood swings, sleep disturbance and memory loss (cognitive systems).
• Increased chances of cardiovascular disease as well as digestive problems and weight gain (the metabolic system).
• Joint pain and the higher probability of menopausal and postmenopausal women suffering from osteoporosis than their younger or male counterparts (musculoskeletal systems).
• Skin and hair are significantly affected by the slowing of collagen production during menopause, which leads to an increase in wrinkles, dry skin, brittle nails and hair loss.
• Genitourinary systems (the urinary and reproductive systems) are often significantly affected. This can cause a decrease in libido, pain during sex (dyspareunia), vaginal dryness, itching and burning and urinary tract symptoms.

These symptoms can lead to a decreased quality of life for many women, as well as increasing risks to their general health.

Treatments for the Symptoms of Menopause.

At Elite Aesthetics, we offer a variety of non surgical treatments for menopause, to combat the effects that it has on women’s lives.

Bio-Identical Hormones

Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) is a revolutionary alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

The majority of menopausal symptoms are brought about by dramatic changes in hormone levels in the body. BHRT are man-made hormones that are chemically identical to the body’s own natural hormones, and so can help to counteract not only menopausal symptoms, but the root cause.

BHRT is specifically tailored to the individual, and so alleviates some of the problems that can occur with traditional HRT. Bio-Id hormone treatments contain a combination of oestrogen, testosterone, progesterone, DHEA, thyroid hormones and Vitamin D3 that is specifically tailored to your symptoms, natural hormone levels and what you need from treatment.

BHRT treatment will be prescribed by your doctor, and created specifically for you, based on a blood test which will indicate the hormones that are unbalanced in your body, and how best to return them to their optimum levels. Your prescription can come in the form of a pill, capsule, cream or gel.

O-Shot

The O-Shot is an innovative and industry-leading procedure to help women regain their sexuality and confidence.

A non hormone treatment for menopause symptoms such as dyspareunia, vaginal dryness and a decreased libido, the O-Shot is similar to our  range of Vampire treatments, and uses the body’s own Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) to rejuvenate and stimulate the vagina, improving sexual function and satisfaction.

The O-Shot works by taking a small amount of blood from the patient, placing it in a centrifuge to separate and concentrate the PRP, before injecting it into specific areas in the clitoris, labia and vagina. The PRP then stimulates the omnipotent stem cells (cells that are capable of developing into any type of tissue), leading to an increase in the speed of cell growth and tissue regeneration.

This can improve lubrication, sensitivity, satisfaction and ease of orgasm, and is an effective treatment for lichen sclerosus, as well as stress incontinence and other symptoms of GSM.

Ultra Femme 360

The Ultra Femme 360 technology from BTL uses radiofrequency to tighten and refresh the vagina and labia, to improve sexual satisfaction and the symptoms of stress incontinence. Ultra Femme 360 helps to tighten the vaginal opening, vaginal canal and perineum, which helps decrease stress incontinence, as well as increase blood flow to the clitoris, improve sexual pleasure, and improve the appearance of the labia.

As with all tissues in the body, the tissue in the vaginal canal contains and produces collagen to retain tightness and elasticity. As the menopause reduces oestrogen levels in the body, skin on the face and body increases in laxity, as does vaginal tissue. To treat this, Ultra Femme 360 uses radiofrequency to gently heat the vaginal tissues, which activates collagen production systems and triggers a rejuvenation of cells, leading to a decrease in vaginal laxity and an increase in sexual pleasure and satisfaction.

Dr. Shirin Lakhani of Elite Aesthetics is a UK ambassador for Ultra Femme 360, and has been featured on ITV and in the Daily Mail for her expertise in intimate rejuvenation techniques.

HydraFacial

The effects of menopause on the body don’t just impact on intimate areas, but also the face. As oestrogen production decreases, skin cells become slower to regenerate, leading to increased skin laxity, sagging wrinkles and duller, drier skin. All of these can harm your self-confidence, and make you feel as though you aren’t putting your best face forward.

HydraFacial is a gentle and effective facial treatment that works to firm and plump up the skin by intensely hydrating it, while also clearing imperfections and brightening and smoothing out the skin’s surface. It is suitable for all skin types, including more sensitive complexions.

Thread Lift

Silhouette Soft, also known as the “thread lift” “one stitch lift” or “puppet facelift”, is a transformational treatment to give lasting and regenerative results while lifting the face.

Silhouette Soft helps to counteract visible signs of ageing partly caused by the menopause by lifting and tightening skin, and adding volume and shapeliness to the face. The results improve over time and will leave you feeling ten years younger.

The menopause was once seen as intimidating, uncomfortable and something women just had to live with. However, with new treatments for menopause being developed all the time to improve women’s lives – as well as the media spotlight finally being shone on healthcare during the menopause, and women’s health as a whole – there is no reason the menopause should impact on any part of your life, from work to relationships and everything in between.

At Elite Aesthetics, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of treatment for symptoms of the menopause. At our quiet, private clinic in Greenhithe, Kent, we use our medical expertise to help women feel like their old selves during the menopause. So if you’re suffering from symptoms of the menopause in Brentwood, Billericay, Bexleyheath, Chigwell, Gravesend, Ingatestone, Sevenoaks, West Malling or the surrounding area, contact Elite Aesthetics to see how we can help you feel fantastic, and make this time in your life the best it can be.