In four steps: an examination, a numbing cream to manage discomfort as Alma describes, a single-use sleeve on the probe, and the laser delivered around the whole vaginal canal in a pixel pattern. Alma, the maker, says the treatment is fast, as little as ten minutes, with some mild discomfort. Every treatment is given by Dr Marie Duggan, GMC 7488383, at Femilift Clinic London, 130 Harley Street, London, W1G 7JU, after a free consultation and examination.
Step 1: the consultation and examination
Dr Marie Duggan takes your history and examines you. A smear test comes first. In our practice the price is set out in writing, you are given the regulators' statements and the trial results for your symptoms, and you are told plainly if pelvic floor training or vaginal oestrogen is the better first step. FemiLift is not given during a period, in pregnancy, with an active cancer, with abnormal smears, or with a vaginal infection or tissue damage. The examination settles whether the day is right.
Step 2: preparation
A numbing cream can be applied, as Alma describes. Alma and NICE both describe an outpatient procedure that can be done without anaesthetic. A single-use sleeve goes over the probe before it is placed.
Step 3: the laser
FemiLift is a fractional CO2 laser at 10,600 nanometres, and Alma says the beam is split into 81 microscopic pixels. The probe is placed in the vagina and the laser is pulsed into the wall in that pixel pattern, in a 360-degree motion throughout the canal, repeated as needed to cover the area. In the published 59-woman FemiLift series the energy was 70 to 120 millijoules per pixel, with the probe rotated over the whole wall. In our practice the energy is set by the doctor. NICE describes the claimed effect as tissue remodelling and new collagen; a sham-controlled biopsy study of 49 women found no tissue difference. The full guide gives the trials on both sides.
Step 4: the days after
Alma says minimal downtime. In the 59-woman series, discharge in 34%, swelling in 15% and itching in 11% were the common effects, none lasting over five days, with no serious events. No intercourse or swimming for three days, or for as long as Dr Marie Duggan advises, and in our practice pelvic floor training continues as before. Contact the clinic about bleeding, pain that increases, a discharge that smells or persists beyond five days, or pain on intercourse that continues. The pain and sex page covers comfort and recovery in detail.
How many visits
Two or three sessions initially in Alma's words, typically three at four to six weeks apart in NICE's, with the plan set at the consultation. The how long it lasts page covers the result over time.
The regulators, in their words
The FemiLift laser is FDA-cleared in the US as a surgical laser, not for these conditions. The record of clears it "for use in surgical applications requiring the ablation, vaporization, excision, incision, and coagulation of soft tissue". In July 2018 the FDA said that "The safety and effectiveness of energy-based devices for treatment of these conditions has not been established." NICE's guidance of says the evidence "does not show any short-term safety concerns" and that "this procedure should only be used in the context of research". The how it works page carries both in full.
Book a free consultation
Call Femilift Clinic London on 0207 043 9916 during opening hours or use the form below at any time and we call you back. Dr Marie Duggan examines you, explains each step for your case, and gives you the price in writing, with a price match on any comparable written quote. Our patients review the clinic on review.clinic, where it scores 4.9 out of 5 from 51 reviews in November 2026.
