
Vaginoplasty is any surgical procedure that results in the construction or reconstruction of the vagina..
Vaginoplasty is a procedure that aims to "tighten up" a vaginathat's become slack or loose from vaginal childbirth or aging. Some surgeons claim it can even improve sensitivity
While it's true that vaginal tissues can stretch, surgically tightening the vaginal tissue in itself cannot guarantee a heightened sexual response, since desire, arousal, and orgasm are complex, highly personal responses, conditioned as much by emotional, spiritual, and interpersonal factors as aesthetic ones. In addition, sexual "sensitivity" doesn't automatically lead to more pleasure - it can actually lead to pain.
Labiaplasty, plastic surgery on the labia (the “lips" surrounding the vagina), can be performed alone or with vaginoplasty. Surgery can be performed on the labia major (the larger, outer vaginal lips), or the labia minor (the smaller, inner vaginal lips). Labiaplasty changes the size or shape of the labia, typically making them smaller or correcting an asymmetry between them.
Reconstructive Surgery vs. Cosmetic Surgery
In order to decide if you should consider vaginoplasty or labiaplasty, it’s important to understand the difference between reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery.
Reconstructive surgery improves the function of a body part, while cosmetic surgery changes the aesthetics of essentially normal anatomy. You can think of it like a nose job: a surgeon can restructure the interior nasal cavities to help you breathe better or reshape the nose, just for the sake of appearances.
More recently, vaginoplasty has grown into a group of cosmetic surgeries marketed as "vaginal rejuvenation" and "designer vagina" procedures.
Here are some examples of "vaginal rejuvenation" and "designer vagina" procedures:
"Revirgination." The hymen, the thin tissue at the entrance to the vagina, normally "breaks" the first time a woman has intercourse. A surgery called a hymenoplasty repairs the hymen to mimic its original, virginal state, before a woman was sexually active. Because of the strong religious convictions surrounding the importance of virginity in some cultures, this is among the most controversial of cosmetic vaginal surgeries
Clitoral unhooding. Some surgeons are marketing a procedure called clitoral unhooding, which removes the tissue that normally covers the clitoris.
G-spot amplification. The front wall of the vagina, some experts believe, holds the highly erotic G-spot, an especially sensitive stimulation site for female arousal and orgasm. The G-spot amplification procedure involves injecting collagen into the front wall of the vagina, theoretically to increase pleasure
Some questions to ask your surgeon include:
- What are the short-term and long-term risks and complications of surgery?
- What are the benefits?
- Will I experience reduced sensation in my vagina or clitoris after surgery?
- Will surgery affect my ability to have an orgasm?
- Are there any restrictions on use of feminine hygiene products, such as tampons, after surgery?
- Will surgery affect future pregnancy and childbirth?
- Are my expectations for surgery realistic?
- What are the non-surgical options?