Am I a candidate for this procedure?
If you have any concerns or issues with your private parts and think the area either does not feel right or does not look right, you should consult a qualified Aesthetic surgeon without feeing embarrassed.
General information about the procedures
Several surgical corrections in the genital area are possible to address your concerns. If you feel that the labia majora or the outer lips of your vagina are shrunk and flat making the area look poorly aesthetic and aged, they can be plumped up using your own fat to look youthful.
If you feel that the labia minora or the inner lips as they are called, are too large and flappy and they tend to hurt /get pulled in tight clothes, or just do not look right because of their excessive size, then they can be surgically reduced to an aesthetic and functionally better size.
In case after having children especially by natural vaginal delivery, especially when an episiotomy to facilitate delivery may have been done, if you and your partner feel that the vaginal musculature passage is too loose or lax, then it can be tightened quite well to improve the grip of the musculature as well as tighten the vaginal passage to normal dimensions
Clitoral surgery can also be done to enhance clitoral sensations in case of an excessive overhanging hood (reduction of clitoral hood) or reduce oversensitivity (clitoral recession).
Hymen repairs can also be done surgically, in case of past trauma, which may have caused psychological issues and social problems in younger women. They are often asked for when the woman wishes to start a fresh relationship.
Most of these procedures can be done as purely a Day care procedure, either under local anaesthesia with sedation or under spinal anaesthesia or even general anaesthesia. If the patient is generally healthy, it is safe and pain is only mild in the post-operative period for 24-48 hours which can be taken care of with analgesics. A majority of patients can go back to work practically the next day after surgery, with a few precautions.
Many of those procedures can be safely combined together in the same sitting.
What kind of results can be expected?
The labia majora can be very nicely plumped up by fat grafting, the final results of which are fully apparent in about 2-3 months. About 25% fat absorption is expected, which requires one more sitting of fat transfer in about a year’s time, IF the patient desires.
Labia minora reduction surgery is very gratifying and permanent. Any pain or pull due to the previously large labia is completely corrected with this surgery.
Clitoral surgery is also very gratifying in terms of erogenous sensations as desired by the patient.
A fairly accurate duplication of a natural hymen can be created surgically if hymenal remnants are available. Even when they are not, use of vaginal mucosal flaps can create a pseudo hymen. It may be noted that the purpose of the hymenoplasty procedure is completed with the next sexual intercourse that the patient has.
What can go wrong and how is it remedied?
- Minor Infections and wound breakdowns in the genital area are possible in rare cases.
- Breakdown of the hymenoplasty suture line due to vaginal infection can also happen in some cases.
- Difficulty and pain in sexual intercourse for the first few times after a vaginal tightening procedure, due to a tight vaginal introitus (opening of the vagina) is known. Use of lubrication and gentle penetration is counselled to the patient.
Common post op do’s and don’ts
With labia minora reduction or labia majora augmentation, there is discomfort for only 24-48 hours and the local swelling can last for a week to 10 days.
In clitoral surgery, normal sensations usually return in 2 weeks post-surgery.
Vaginal tightening requires abstinence from sexual intercourse for about 3-4 weeks till healing is complete. Use of lubrication for a couple of weeks is recommended after sexual activity is restarted.
Hymenoplasty also requires a healing period of about 3 weeks. Hence the ideal time for the procedure is right after the previous menstrual period is over.
Proper hygiene of the area needs to be maintained post-operatively, with regular gentle douching and use of antiseptic creams till good healing has occurred. A course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications is always prescribed by your Aesthetic Surgeon to prevent local infection.
Sexual intercourse is of course to be avoided for at least 3-4 weeks