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What Is a Vaginoplasty?

What Is a Vaginoplasty

Intimacy is a huge deal to most people, and to connect with another person, you need to feel good about yourself first. Maybe you haven’t been loving the skin you’re in recently, and as a result, your romantic life is suffering.

One thing that individuals are turning to is vaginoplasty, which can address issues regarding female genitalia. This can be the key to getting your sex life back on track.

So what is a vaginoplasty, why is it done, and what else do you need to consider? This post will explore all the details so you can decide whether it’s right for you.

What Is a Vaginoplasty?

A vaginoplasty is also known as posterior colporrhaphy. It’s a surgical procedure that’s aimed at constructing, reconstructing, or tightening the vaginal canal and/or the external genitalia (vulva).

Because this surgery can achieve a wide variety of things, it can be performed for medical, functional, or aesthetic reasons.

The Types of Vaginoplasty

As you might imagine, individuals may want a vaginoplasty procedure done for various outcomes. Here are the types that are most commonly found.

Gender-Affirming Vaginoplasty (Male-to-Female)

For transgender women, this procedure is often referred to as penile inversion vaginoplasty. The appearance for vaginoplasty before and after is drastic, as the patient goes from having a penis and scrotum to having a vagina; this is referred to as creating a neovagina.

Penile inversion vaginoplasty is the most common technique used for transgender women. Other methods include intestinal (sigmoid colon) vaginoplasty and peritoneal (lining of the abdominal cavity) vaginoplasty.

Reconstructive Vaginoplasty

Some individuals may have congenital vaginal anomolies, such as Mayer-Rokitansky-Kuster-Hauser syndrome, or they may have trauma to the area. Either way, reconstructive vaginoplasty can restore a normal appearance.

Cosmetic or Functional Tightening

After childbirth, women may experience vaginal laxity and other changes to their vaginas and vulvas. Not only can this have an impact on their confidence, but it may also affect their sex lives. Vaginoplasty can improve the vaginal tone through a vaginal tightening procedure and the overall aesthetics through alterations to the labia.

How Is Vaginoplasty Done?

Now that you know what vaginoplasty can achieve, you may be interested in learning about the procedure. Here’s how it’s done.

Preoperative Preparation

Not everyone is a candidate for vaginoplasty, so medical and psychological evaluations are required. This is especially true for gender-affirming surgeries.

Your surgeon may advise you to do hair removal (laser or electrolysis) on the surgical site. Other things they’ll require of you are smoking cessation, blood work, and informed consent.

As for the vaginoplasty itself, the steps will depend on which type you get.

Penile Inversion Vaginoplasty

This vagina surgery uses general anesthesia and the penile skin is carefully dissected and preserved; it’ll become the vaginal lining. The corpora cavernosa (erectile tissues) are removed or reshaped, and the urethra is shortened and repositioned to simulate the female anatomy.

The surgeon will then dissect a space between the rectum and prostate/bladder to create the neovaginal cavity, then the preserved penile skin is inverted and placed inside. The following are created from existing structures:

  • Clitoral hood and labia minora: glans and surrounding tissue
  • Labia majora: scrotal skin
  • Clitoral nerve: dorsal nerve of penis

Lastly, the neovagina is sutured in place and a mold is inserted to maintain the vaginal shape during healing.

Intestinal Vaginoplasty

If there isn’t enough penile or scrotal tissue, then a segment of the sigmoid colon or the ileum is harvested. The steps for the surgery are the same as with the above procedure, but the intestinal segment is used to line the vaginal canal.

Reconstructive or Congenital Vaginoplasty

In this surgery, a neovaginal cavity is created using:

  • Skin grafts
  • Buccal mucosa (mucous membrane lining the inner cheeks and lips)
  • Intestinal tissue

Those who have vaginal agenesis (a vagina that hasn’t developed properly) may use dilators alone as a non-surgical solution.

Aesthetic Vaginoplasty

This is also called vaginal rejuvenation and the goals are to improve tightness, appearance, and sometimes, sexual satisfaction too.

The surgeon will take excess mucosa from the posterior vaginal wall and then tighten the muscles with sutures. They may also use laser or radiofrequency techniques if you want minor tightening through non-surgical methods.

The Recovery Process

The recovery period will depend on the type of vaginoplasty you get. In general, you can return to light activity after 4-6 weeks for gender-affirming vaginoplasty, and full healing will occur 3-6 months afterward.

For aesthetic or reconstructive vaginoplasty, you can return to work after 1-2 weeks. However, you can’t have intercourse for around 8 weeks, although the pain and swelling should subside after a few weeks.

Potential Risks and Complications

All surgery comes with potential risks and complications, including vaginoplasty. They include:

  • Bleeding
  • Infection
  • Pain

Rarer complications include:

  • Rectal injury
  • Fistula formation
  • Vaginal stenosis (scar tissue causing the vagina to become narrower or shorter)
  • Loss of sensation
  • Painful intercourse
  • Urinary complications
  • Hair growth inside the neovagina (if pre-op hair removal wasn’t done)

There may also be psychological distress if your expectations aren’t met.

Outcomes and Satisfaction

In general, patients experience high satisfaction rates, especially if they use experienced surgeons.

Sensation and orgasm are often preserved if the nerves are well-maintained. And transgender women report better confidence, gender congruence, and sexual satisfaction; 93% said they’d have vaginoplasty again today.

Get a Consultation for a Vaginoplasty

In this article, we’ve answered the question, “What is a vaginoplasty?” It’s a complex and highly individualized surgical procedure that not only improves aesthetics, but also serves medical and functional purposes.

So if you’ve been feeling insecure about intimacy, or you’d like to go through gender-affirming surgery, then consider this surgery. When done correctly, a vaginoplasty can drastically change your life, and you’ll feel much more comfortable in your body. Just make sure you vet your options and pick a surgeon with experience and skill.

If you’re interested in scheduling a vaginoplasty, then get in touch with us today. Dr. Valdez has over 16 years of experience and is a recognized member of leading global and national plastic surgery organizations.

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