Before You Commit to Vaginoplasty
Date posted: September 18, 2009In just a few years, vaginoplasty has become so common that it’s almost not given a second thought when someone says they are considering it. Some patients request the procedure because they feel uncomfortably loose and lax. Others, hate the way all that extra tissue and folds look.
Some patients request vaginoplasty to increase pleasure for both the man and woman during sexual intercourse (since the vagina may have become loosened over the years). Others want to correct a structural problem, while still others undergo vaginoplasty as part of a male-to-female gender transformation.
Before you make the final decision, though, there is information you need to know. For starters, many plastic surgeries leave lasting scars. As a prospective patient, you must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of having this scar against the benefits that vaginoplasty will bring to you. Fortunately, due to the nature of the procedure, a scar from a vaginoplasty will only be visible to yourself and only the most intimate partners. Still, you should understand this fact ahead of time.
Also, you should understand that there will be some “down” time during which you’ll need to get some rest and allow the vaginal area to recover. While you can usually return to work within a couple of days (since it is an outpatient procedure), you’ll need to avoid vigorous exercise and other similar activities for a couple of weeks. And it might be as much as six to eight weeks before you can return to full sexual activity.
Also, you should be aware that there is no such thing as a risk-free plastic surgery operation. Every surgery has inherent risks. Vaginoplasty has been honed in recent years so that it is one of the safer surgeries available. Still, you can never completely eliminate all possible negative results. Find out ahead of time what these possible risks are.
Finally, you need to understand and recognize that there are many instances in which a person must go in for a surgical revision. This is not the ideal situation, and it’s probably less true for vaginoplasty than other forms of plastic surgery. But occasionally, the skin or body does not respond as expected and the results of the operation are less than perfect. In these rare instances, it might be necessary to have a second procedure done to correct whatever is still not quite right.
Vaginoplasty is a good choice for many women. Just know ahead of time what is in store.
1 Comment »Categories: Vaginaplasty
Thank you Dr. Colen for this helpful heads-up. I appreciate the fact that you are always honest about procedures, showing both sides of the matter.
I should add, and I think you’ll agree with me, that we should tell women that “your mileage may vary.” i personally have known two friends who had a vaginoplasty done. And their post-procedure results were completely different. Don’t get me wrong–both had results that they were satisfied. But with the first friend–we’ll call her Pam–she was up and active almost immediately. In fact, i still think she was pushing it a bit more than she should have, but the procedure seemed to not really slow her down at all.My other friend–let’s call her Emily–was lying in bed for most of 4 days, having her family wait on her hand and foot. I almost think she exaggerated things just to get them to serve her after her serving them for so many years!
But the one thing they both had in common is that both said the after-surgery effects were not longterm and both said they don’t regret getting the operation. I’m still mulling over the possibility of doing it myself one of these days!