Ronald Reilly's Infamous Vagina Surgery Paper.....That He Not Only Turned In, But Gave A Presentation Of It To The Class
Enjoy. . . . .
Ron Reilly
English 215-08
June 3, 2000
Professor Amido
As the patient puts her legs into the stirrups, the anesthesiologist prepares his cocktail of sleeping gases and Dr. Matlock is just arriving to the office. Matlock exchanges pleasantries with his secretary, Jeannine, steps into the scrub room, dons his gown, and washes up. He’s about to perform, as he has for the last ten years, a highly controversial, and suddenly hot, cosmetic-surgery. Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation, Dr. Matlock’s specialty, promises renewed sexual gratification for men and women, but its price, economically speaking and, potentially, physically speaking, heavily outweighs this promise in all but the most extreme cases of vaginal relaxation.
Vaginal relaxation is a phenomenon seen in nearly thirty million American women, according to Dr. Matlock, mostly as a result of bearing children, though some women who have never had children experience it to some degree. A relaxed vagina is loosely defined as one that no longer provides the pleasure, for neither him nor her, that it used to because of stretching and overall loosening. Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation aims to reverse this circumstance and tighten the walls of the vagina to its prepubescent form (see last two pages for detailed description).
The anesthesia a patient receives will completely block the nerves in the pubic region for 18 to 24 hours and keep her asleep for the one hour it takes to complete the surgery. Once the patient is prepped and fast asleep, the doctor uses a laser to make roughly three sutures to specific areas inside the vagina. These sutures cause tendons inside the walls of the vagina to clench tightly, providing the desired affect and the procedure is finished. After four days of limited movement, and six to eight weeks of sexual abstinence, the patient, supposedly, has a renewed confidence in herself as well as restored pleasure (Chun 58).
Indeed, a handful of people (Matlock and his associates) will contend that only good can come out of this surgery. These compatriots point to the "low" occurrence of side affects and what seem to be numerous pluses. First off, they claim that the biggest plus is the added sexual pleasure that a woman who receives this surgery will experience. According to Jane Norton, a Doctor in Palm Dessert, California, the surgery, "empowers women with choice and freedom to enhance sexual gratification" (Havranek 91). Not only will the woman experience quite a bit more feeling during intercourse, but also the man will appreciate the friction that was, until the surgery, missing for so many years. Common sense says that giving a woman more power to please her man will restore her self-confidence, not only in the bedroom, but in other aspects of her life as well.
With self-esteem reestablished, a woman only need to worry about the possible side affects. There are two sides to this argument. Dr. Matlock asserts that the only complications to worry about, as with any other surgery, are excessive hemorrhaging and possible infection of the area operated on. Other possibilities, although Dr. Matlock has not come across them in his ten years of experience, are injury to the bladder and rectum, as well as scarring and the off chance of "overcorrection". His unfounded statistic state that only one percent of women operated on experience either of these problems.
On the Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation website that Dr. Matlock’s office runs, a few testimonials from patients that have experienced this surgery are posted. There aren’t any negative comments in the testimonials, but the obvious bias of Dr. Matlock and his best interests should lead one to expect that. Nonetheless, these are comments from real people, and their commentary should be considered.
One unidentified patient of Dr. Matlock’s provides this testimonial on the website:
Being a patient of Dr. Matlock since the age of eighteen, I felt very comfortable discussing this problem with him. I had given birth to a 10lb 5oz baby boy at the age of twenty. I realized that after giving birth to such a large child that things seemed different.
A problem had surfaced. I did not feel the same sensation while having sexual intercourse. Things had changed dramatically for me. Trying to reach climax was all but impossible. I felt very uncomfortable having sex. It began to have a negative affect on me mentally, not to mention physically.
Dr. Matlock explained the procedure to me in great detail, and I felt very comfortable, he let me know what to expect from the start to the very end. And what to expect during the recovery time.
On the day of surgery, everything went great from the time I walked in, and was greeted by his staff, to the time I left for home. Feeling a little uncomfortable, but not in any pain. Packing is placed inside, but it is not unbearable. Pain medication is given to ease any pain. The next day after surgery, I went back to the facility to have the packing removed, which gave immediate relief.
After the 6 weeks of healing took place I felt as good as new, having this procedure was the best decision I had made regarding my health. I felt confident and vibrant again. And my love life was back on track. Having no problem reaching sexual gratification. Even my husband noticed the difference and was very pleased. I would recommend this procedure to anyone who is suffering from this discomfort and who best to handle the problem than a Gynecologist….
I realize that this is a sensitive topic, but it is one that many women suffer from. I thank God for Dr. Matlock and his professionalism in dealing with this sometimes-uncomfortable yet necessary topic. He is truly a women’s doctor.
Anonymous
OK, looks like that’s it. The surgery must be totally safe and one hundred percent effective. Question answered, right? Wrong. What do other experts have to say? "It could just be hype," explains Doctor Dennis Lynch in an article in Bazaar magazine (www.bazaar.com). Lynch, the incumbent President of an association representing the integrity and interests of ninety seven percent of all board certified surgeons, the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, further proclaims that, "that kind of thing does not even fit into our list of approved procedures." A simple translation of Lynch’s statements would be that the surgery that Dr. Matlock has performed for ten years has never been voted into a list of approved procedures by ninety-seven percent of the most accredited cosmetic surgeons in the country.
In an ABC News special, Nicholas Regush points to a couple of disturbing facts that may deter a few would-be candidates for rejuvenation surgery from going through with the procedure. A lack of scientific data that the surgery even works, thus not being worth any price in money or pain, is only secondary to the concern that there is a gaping hole in Dr. Matlock and Friends’ argument when it comes to safety data. Truthfully, opponents explain, there are more side affects to consider than Matlock has presented, and there is a lack of documentation as to the occurrence of these problems or the problems Matlock is willing to discuss
"I’d have to see what this doctor is doing," exclaimed Doctor Barry Weintraub, the spokesman for the Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Weintraub explains, in Lehman’s terms, that a laser is nothing more than a "controlled burn" (Chun 64). Burns can cause a wide number of problems, but the most alarming problems relating to a laser surgery are the risks of scarring and destruction of nerves, resulting in numbness. Numbness is always undesireable, but more so in a surgery meant to increase sensation.
The physical cost that one may pay, pale in comparison to the cost that a whole group of people may have to pay in the near future. Well documented are the cases gone wrong in the beginnings of surgeries like breast augmentation and penile enlargement. "What happens," explains Dr. Weintraub, "is the surgery catches on like a fashion statement, and then you get every guy with a medical license wanting to cash in." (Chun 64). Weintraub means that, with the sudden popularity and media attention that Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation is getting, and the large sums of money coming from the procedure, doctors with little or no experience in the field may start adding the surgery to their menu of "expertise". When breast augmentation first caught on, there were lawsuits left and right because women were coming home with badly butchered, misshapen breasts, and silicon was leaking everywhere. If large numbers of women experience that kind of difficulty in such a vitally important area, it could be catastrophic.
An even darker issue is the fact that Dr. Matlock, the pioneer of this surgery, is not certified in any board of plastic or cosmetic surgery. He is certified on no board higher than the Board of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (www.plasticsurgeons.com). According to the boards website, and common sense, "People seeking plastic surgery or any other type of medical treatment are aware that they should look for ‘board certification’ among the credentials of their plastic surgeon." Indeed, any licensed medical doctor can perform plastic surgery and call him or herself a plastic surgeon. Dr. Matlock is included in a group of plastic surgeons that have not completed an approved residency in plastic surgery. "Dr. Feelgood" (Chun 57) needs a bit more support for his claims to be considered valid and scientific.
There are alternatives to this radical surgery, which should soften the blow that the medical world will receive from the expected explosion in the procedure’s popularity (Havranek 92). Breast augmentation and penile enlargement have no "real" safe and effective alternatives, so hopefully that will deter VLR from following their respective courses. The "Intimate Trainer" (888-303-2013) utilizes a low-level electrical wave used an hour per day to strengthen and tighten tendons and muscles in the vagina (92). "Fem Tone" vaginal weights (don’t laugh, its for real) are an assortment of "barbells" ranging from twenty to forty grams in weight, that can be used to strengthen and tighten muscles in much the same way as the Intimate Trainer (92). Of course, there is the old standby, Kagel exercise. In performing Kagel exercises, one merely squeezes the muscle used to go to the bathroom repeatedly, adding strength and control to the vaginal area (92).
One possibility that hasn’t even been looked into is that vaginal relaxation has nothing to do with muscles and tendons "relaxing", but actually rupturing. The wdyxcyber.com website, a sight specifically designed for women’s health issues, says that vaginal relaxation actually occurs mostly in post-menopausal Caucasian women and is most likely the result of tendons actually breaking loose from the walls of the vagina and a loosening of the ligaments. If this is true, then the whole hypothesis behind LVR surgery is negated and the controversy is over.
In a perfect world, this experimental (at best) surgery would be conducted in only the most needed cases. Dr. Peter D. Fobor has the right idea. He performs this kind of operation only in medical need (Chun 64). Medical needs for Vaginal Rejuvenation include sexual dysfunction (not just lack of gratification) and hygiene problems. This is in direct contrast to Dr. Matlock’s and Dr. Norton’s attitudes of providing, "whatever the patient wants" (64).
Women, since it will ultimately be their choice, must understand the pluses and minuses of such an operation and should be strongly advised, in the event of any plastic surgery, to check their doctor’s credentials for board certification. The market for this operation will soon explode with all of the recent media coverage and the coverage that is almost certain to follow. Beverly Hills provides a vast breeding ground for this kind of surgery because it brings with it a glamorous aura that many common women will idolize and have jealousy for until they too can have it. Hopefully, Dr. Matlock and his compatriots will get some more hardline scientific data about the effectiveness and safety of the operation and awareness of the surgery and its risks will increase in parallel fashion so that women can have the facts and make a sound judgement when they decide whether or not Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation is for them.
Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation can be described as a reconstruction of vital areas of the vagina essential to sexual satisfaction. This occurs largely in the outer third of the vaginal canal. The outer third of the canal contains the Graffenburg-spot, the orgasmic platform, introitus, and perineum. It’s an evolution of the surgery used to treat urinary incontinence (loss of bladder control). The sensual side of female gratification is lost.
The second diagram shows the desired affect on the orgasmic pattern of a woman who has this surgery. She will supposedly achieve the second stage, the plateau, faster than a woman with a relaxed vagina (follow line two of diagram three) and be more readily able to reach climax. The third diagram shows some of the varying orgasmic patterns of women. A perfectly normal woman will follow path one, in which she makes it to the plateau and then climax a number of times before gradually reaching the resolution stage. Meanwhile, path number two is a woman with vaginal relaxation. She has difficulty reaching the plateau stage and has a most difficult time getting above it. She also reaches her resolution much quicker than the woman in line one does. Line three shows the course of an unfortunate woman, closely resembling the path of a man in that she goes almost directly from excitement through the plateau and onto orgasm, without the possibility of another orgasm, and reaches resolution.
Works Cited
Chun, Rene. "Dr. Feel good." Penthouse Jun. 2000: 57-58, 64.
Havranek, Carrie. "The New Sex Surgeries." Cosmopolitan
27 Mar. 2000: 91-92.
Mademoiselle@swoon .com; Sex Q+A Shortcuts. Sandra Hollander.
May 2000. <www.swoon.com>
Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation Website. Dr. David Matlock. May 2000.
Regush, Nicholas. Genitalia Redisegn: More Women Seek Surgical
Reconstruction of Their Privates. ABC World News Tonight
16 May 2000.
Works Consulted
Designer Vaginas. Unspecified Author. May 2000. www.bazaar.com
Plastic Surgery Doctors Online at www.plasticsurgerydocters.com
Women’s Health Issues at www.dxcyber.com
** information on the procedure itself, pictures, and safety statistics given by Dr. Matlock are taken from his website, www.drmatlock.com.
**with exception of Penthouse, all articleas can be found at Dr. Matlock’s website.