She lies on her back in the Beverly Hills examination room. Dr. David Matlock inserts his finger between her legs to locate her G-Spot and asks whether she feels any sensation. She does. He pulls out his index finger and measures it. He then injects her with lidocaine to numb her. Like a child about to be vaccinated, she thinks: “It’s gonna hurt. It’s gonna hurt.” He then injects collagen into the erogenous area, engorging it to the size of a quarter.
Charlene, who does not wish to disclose her last name, was the first woman to have the G-spot amplification shot in David Matlock’s office in 2001 as part of his first study group. Charlene was already aware of her erogenous zone but found that the injection boosted her sexual pleasure. “I felt a change in my satisfaction. It was instant. It enhanced that area and it was more intense,” says Charlene, a massage therapist, who has had five injections since then. “I got used to it for a while—it’s like botox. You get a good result and you want to do it again,” she says. “My orgasm was more intense and it didn’t take long to achieve.”
Dr. David Matlock, of the E! Entertainment Network’s Dr. 90210, is the inventor of the G-Shot. In 2005, the first year the American Society of Plastic Surgeons started keeping track of such procedures, 793 women had surgery on their genitals, but there is no current data recorded to identify which were G-Shots. Matlock, including fifty-two other surgeons, administer the G-Shot in the U.S. and Canada, along with six doctors abroad. Matlock claims that he has performed over one thousand G-Shot procedures since 2001. Women ranging from their twenties to forties have gone to his practice for the shot, where he offers a quick $1,850 option for satisfaction.
“G-Spot Amplification is suitable for any age. It is reserved strictly for patients without any form of sexual dysfunction who wish to further enhance their normal sexual arousal and gratification,” says Matlock, who founded the Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation Institute.
In the 1950s, Ernst Gräfenberg identified the location in the vagina between the back of the pubic bone and near the cervix as an area with erotic potential. Matlock injects human-engineered collagen into the pleasure-point, where effects last up to four months until the collagen dissipates into the rest of the body.
Because of lack of research and safety, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), including sexologist Dr. William Granzig, advise against the shot. He recommends that women find alternatives to improve their “sexual repertoire.” “[The G-Shot] doesn’t have very much value—it’s cosmetic, just like a nose job isn’t necessary to breathe,” Granzig shrugs.
Research in the 1980s analyzing female sexual response aroused discussion as to whether the holy grail of female orgasm existed.
“The original research is not presented correctly,” Granzig says. “In 1953, Gräfenberg said that some women have a sensitive area. Many think it’s an anatomical structure, but it’s not, and most women do not have [a G-spot].”
San Francisco plastic surgeon Dr. Usha Rajagopal performs labiaplasty, a popular aesthetic vaginal procedure, but not the G-shot. “I wouldn’t consider doing it because I don’t believe that there is a G-spot,” says Rajagopal.
Dr. Justin Salerno is a board-certified gynecologist based in the small suburb of Vacaville, California, who started out as a gynecologist before he transitioned twenty years ago to performing aesthetic gynecology, which includes vaginal reconstructive surgery and aesthetic labiaplasty. He says that women have three main erogenous zones: above the neck, the clitoris, and the G-spot. The largest sexual organ is the skin, and these hypersensitive zones are more prone to sexual satisfaction but also vary depending on the person.
“There’s enough research that says it does [exist]. It all depends what side of the fence you’re on, and it’s unique for each individual,” Salerno says. “I think it’s an erogenous zone. I wouldn’t be counseling patients if I didn’t think it existed and that the injection would heighten sensitivity.”
Twenty-three-year-old Cecilia Ascencio found herself thinking too much about her orgasm in order to climax during sex with her sexually inexperienced ex-husband. Eleven months ago, she set up an appointment with Dr. Salerno’s office. Ascencio heard about the G-Shot through working as a medical assistant to plastic surgeons. Ascencio thought she knew where it was but was still unsure, so Salerno led her into a separate room so she could find where it was. She discovered that she had an erogenous zone when she started having sex with her ex-husband, but her orgasms weren’t strong. “Whoa, that’s kinda cool,” she thought when she felt where it was.
“It’s [like] a competition when you’re married. If you don’t go before he goes, you’re shit out-of-luck… [The G-Shot] made it easier to climax [and] I didn’t have to concentrate as much—there’s twice as much stimulation because it’s both the G-spot and the clitoris.”
Side effects from collagen include urinary tract infection, open sores, scarring, and lumpiness. Matlock explains: “The risks to the procedure are very low. In fact, it is based on a procedure originally described in the 1940s for the treatment of intrinsic sphincter deficiency [the involuntary loss of urine that affects older women] which has a proven safety profile.”
Cecilia is not worried about these complications or losing sensitivity because she has been getting collagen lip injections regularly for the last three years and hasn’t lost feeling.
Because the result is more intense and faster, does this let guys off the hook? And is the desire for quick satisfaction the answer?
Forty-three-year-old Charlene says not at all, and if anything, it’s a turn-on for them. “I’m a very selfish person, I do it for myself… A lot of people have a misconception of sexual awareness, especially for a woman. [The G-shot] made me more aware of where it is. I felt more confident. Especially when you’re in a great relationship, this kind of procedure makes me feel really good on the inside,” she explains.
Since there isn’t sufficient research on whether or not collagen really increases sensitivity, the placebo effect may be a factor in making women think it actually works. Matlock’s pilot study found that eighty-seven percent of recipients experienced heightened pleasure.
Salerno says there is room for questioning. “I think the placebo effect has shown in about every study, and does have some effect. You can’t discount it, but [the G-shot] is like taking the training wheels off—people are satisfied with recognizing where the zone is,” he says.
The G-Shot isn’t as popular locally as it is in Southern California—since the beginning of the year Salerno has administered two-dozen shots. “It’s zoning in on your body. Some people come in for repeated shots. Usually people don’t come back after the second time,” he says.
Cecilia Ascencio has a new partner who is more exciting, but she is returning soon to see Salerno for another pop. “I know the shot magnified it, because our sex life didn’t change but my orgasms were stronger,” she says. “It didn’t solve [my husband’s inadequacy], but it increased sensitivity. What woman wouldn’t want to enhance her sex life? Men have Viagra.”
Although it may sound like a fad, these ladies and Salerno see this as positive. Salerno says, “Aesthetic gynecology is a breakthrough for women and it’s a strive for making the playing field equal…vis-a-vis penial implants, erectile dysfunction. You don’t hear that about women. The time has come for women…The glass ceiling lies in the bedroom too.”