Vaginoplasty is a medical procedure to create or repair a vagina; it is a treatment to resolve various medical issues, including vaginal injuries. You can do vaginoplasty for both functional and cosmetic reasons, functions such as sexual intercourse and urinary incontinence and cosmetic reasons may include changing the appearance and structure of the gentle part. This surgery is performed for transgender or non-binary people who are interested in gender confirmation surgery. This is the process in which surgeons construct a viganal cavity, and the goal of this process is to create a vagina out of penile tissue.
Penile Inversion Procedure
The most common procedure is penile inversion, in which penile skin is used to create the vaginal lining, the labia majora are constructed using scrotal skin and the sensitive skin at the tip of the penis is used to build the clitoris. Sometimes, to create the necessary depth of the vagina, penile skin is not enough; in this situation, surgeons can take skin grafts from the upper hip, lower abdomen and inner thigh. Among plastic surgeons, the penile inversion vaginoplasty technique is considered the gold standard genital reconstruction technique.
Colon Procedure
In this technique, the lining of the colon is used instead of penile skin; in this procedure, the positive point is that the tissue is self-lubricating. The vagina made from penile skin is dependent on artificial lubricants. However, the colon procedure is used only in cases where penile inversion fails.
What Does Vaginoplasty Treat?
- Vaginal Childbirth
A vaginal delivery may loosen and stretch your vaginal muscles, and your vagina may lose its tightness with age. This can cause uncomfortable situations and may affect sexual function.
2. Medical condition: Some people during cancer treatment underwent radiation to treat cancer. After the cancer treatment, they may need vaginal reconstruction. A vaginoplasty surgery can also help to reshape your vagina if your health provider removes it during cancer treatment.
Risk And Complications
There are always risks associated with surgery, but vaginoplasty complications are rare, and the risk of infections can be cleared with antibiotics. After surgery, some people recover in the hospital within five to six days, while others go home sooner. Here are some immediate post-surgical risks, including:
- Light bleeding up to 48 hours after surgery
- Infection
- Skin or clitoral necrosis
- Urinary retention
- Vaginal prolapse
- Fistulas
- Itching or numbness as your nerves ending heal
- Swelling or bruising in your genital area, and swelling can take several weeks to go away.
Conclusion
Vaginoplasty is done by so many people for different reasons, but most of the time this surgery is done to improve confidence and sexual function. The common reason is to repair injury or to fix a congenital anomaly, and there are different methods and procedures the surgeons may use to perform this surgery. The risks and complications mainly depend on the method your surgeon uses to perform vaginoplasty. If you are searching for vaginoplasty, you can visit Dr. VJ’s Cosmetic Surgery Clinic, where Dr. C Vijay Kumar, with more than 40 years of experience, is here to fulfil all sorts of medical needs for you.
FAQs
Will surgeons use a surgical drain?
Yes, while you are in the surgical room in the hospital, your surgeon will place a surgical drain and remove it before you leave.
Do I need to remove my stitches?
No, you do not need to worry about your stitches because your surgical wounds will be closed with dissolvable stitches and in 30 to 90 days they will dissolve completely.