Intimate conversation

Dr Sherif Wakil shares his O-Concept® protocol and his impression using the Desiral® Range

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND?

I am a cosmetic and sexual aesthetics doctor. My background is plastic surgery, and I started doing cosmetic treatments 13 years ago. At this point in my life, I was looking for what would be my forte.

About 10 years ago, I went to the US to visit a friend of mine, Dr Charles Runels, the inventor of the P-Shot and the O-Shot. I took the training from him and then became a trainer myself, introducing what I had learned when I returned to Europe. These treatments using platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for sexual rejuvenation were totally novel at the time.

I created a class of aesthetics known as sexual aesthetics and launched the first sexual aesthetics agenda at the FACE Congress in 2016.

From there, I continued to build a medical community around the agenda, and launched the International Association of Aesthetic Gynaecology and Sexual Wellbeing (IAAGSW). We have had two congresses so far since 2017, and the feedback from peers has been outstanding. Now, I speak at conferences and provide training in different countries all the time.

WHY DO YOU THINK GENITAL ENHANCEMENT TREATMENT REQUEST IS INCREASING AMONG WOMEN?

This speciality is highly undermined. I discovered that there are so many problems which do not have any answers. In conventional medicine, you go to your GP and tell them that your sensitivity is gone. Most likely, they won’t be able to do much about it, or they might give you some Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). The problem is that many women’s bodies do not deal well with HRT.

My point is, there are a lot of things women would love to sort out, but they have never found a solution. That fascinates me. That is why I have introduced many treatments other than the O-Shot so that I can address all women’s sexual problems. I started introducing radiofrequency, laser, carboxytherapy, and Desiral®, of course. Now I have more than 50 different treatments for female sexual dysfunction. Based on this variety of treatments, I created the O-Concept® protocol. I have done around 25,000 cases so far.

WHY DO YOU THINK DESIRIAL® PLUS COMPLEMENTS SUCH A RICH PORTFOLIO OF TREATMENTS?

When the Desiral® range came out, it was the first product ever to be indicated for genitals, so it has a different quality to it. It has been specifically made for the vagina and is backed up by good clinical studies.

The product's consistency and natural feel is also one of its major assets. For example, with other products, when you keep pressing onto it, the product will dissolve quickly. With Desiral®, the rheology of the product is designed to offer specific viscoelastic properties and optimal longevity in the vaginal tissues.

Actually, Desiral® became a very important toolfor me to reach results I couldn’t reach before. For example, I even can use Desiral® Plus to perform vaginal tightening. In order to achieve this, I inject all the vaginal canal to reach instant vaginal tightening. Because of its hydrophilic properties, it also helps a great deal with dryness. Unlike laser, which is one of the best treatments for tightening, with Desiral®, you have no downtime but instant tightening and hydration. So, a lot ofmy patients are coming back for Desiral® Plus.

WHAT TECHNIQUE DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR OPTIMAL RESULTS?

I have various techniques when I inject Desiral® Plus. But for example, instead of injecting the labia from the top and pushing down the tissues, I want to lift it up. So, I inject from below up. I push the tissues upwards and start to withdraw when I go down. This way, I am pushing up the tissues that I want to lift. I am creating a tunnel downwards rather than upwards.

When injecting, I use a long cannula and don’t go too deep. The deeper you inject, the less you can see the results.

WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR COMPLICATIONS MANAGEMENT?

During my training, I teach my students some techniques to avoid complications. One of the most frequent ones I teach is on how to avoid black and swollen hematomas after injections.

If I’m making the pre-hole and find a lot of bleeding, rather than going in with the cannula straightaway, you need to wait for the bleeding to stop. When you open the entry point with the needle, it means you hit a vein, which is why it is bleeding so much. When you put the cannula in, the bleeding will stop, but will still be happening inside. The day following the treatment, your patient will have a hematoma. If you stop the bleeding and inject it like this the next day, it looks amazing.

Equally, I give them opportunities to be gentle and deal with the resistance of the tissues accordingly, so that you don’t create trauma: when you inject the labia, you have to penetrate the dartos, which can be hard to pop through. For the patient's comfort, it is important to go gently, which comes with experience, too.

HOW DO YOU RECOMMEND INTRODUCING SEXUAL REJUVENATION INTO A FACIAL AESTHETICS CLINIC?

I think the key is to look at a holistic approach so that, in the same way as you do for the face, it fits the needs of the patient you have in front of you. The O-Concept® is a protocol of treatments designed and based on each individual. For each patient that comes into my clinic, I organise a journey of a tailored set of treatments that can vary between 1 to 3 months and then I always finish with Desiral® Plus.