Vaginal Rejuvenation and Vaginoplasty – When To Get One and What To Expect

 

A Vaginoplasty restores and improves the appearance and function of the vaginal canal and opening to the pre-childbearing state. This vaginal rejuvenation returns the vagina to its youthful state by rebuilding deep muscle layers to tighten the vaginal canal internally and avoids a loss of sensation in the vagina.

What causes a loose vagina in the first place? Do pelvic floor exercises help? What vaginal rejuvenation surgery techniques exist? Can a labioplasty be performed at the same time? Will there be a loss of sensation?

Keep reading to learn the answers to these questions and more.

What Are The Causes Of A Loose Vagina? How Does One Know If They Have A Loose Vagina?

 

• Many women worry and are self-conscious about their vagina being loose; especially if implied of such looseness by partners. 
• Often, a loss of sensation in the vagina or a decrease in sexual sensation is attributed to the loosening of the vagina, even though there might be other causes involved.
• Subjectively, after childbirth, the sensation of looseness of the vagina often becomes a concern. Frequently this might be true objectively as well.
• The concern for loose vaginas becomes a major hurdle for many women entering into the dating scene after ending a long-term relationship especially when childbirths have taken place.
• The looseness of the vaginal most frequently is caused by vaginal births due to the size of the baby and the birth process. The muscular and supportive tissue of the vagina got over-stretched, torn, or cut during vaginal birth resulting in the widening of the vaginal canal and its opening (the vaginal introitus).
• It is unlikely that sexual activities would loosen the vagina to the extent that childbirth would.

 

An example of a loose vagina can be seen below:

 

Before and After photos of one of Dr. Lau’s patients (with permission) who had Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery, her internal vaginal canal was loose, as well as the vaginal opening (vaginal introitus) before surgery. 

Can Pelvic Floor Exercise (PFE) Help Tighten a Loose Vagina?

• PFE will help to strengthen the muscles around the vaginal area, and it has been reported that up to 50% of women with urinary incontinence noticed improvements after doing PFE properly. It is worth doing PFE to see if it would help with vaginal looseness. There are devices available on the market that would help perform PFE as well.

• In many cases, the vaginal tissues are so loose that PFE has minimal impact in tightening the vagina.

 

What Can Be Done If I Still Have A Loose Vagina Even After PFE? Does Laser Treatment Work?

• The tightness of the vaginal canal is related to the muscular groups around the vaginal area, mostly located between the back wall of the vagina and the rectum. According to Dr. Lau – “Before vaginal birth, those muscles are short and thick, providing the tightness of the vaginal canal. With vaginal births, those muscles were stretched, torn, or cut during the labor and delivery. After childbirth, those stretched and thinned out muscles just could not provide the tightness to the vagina anymore even after PFE, and vaginal looseness becomes a concern both subjectively and objectively.” Surgically repairing and tightening those stretched and thinned out muscles would be most effective and definitive to restore the vaginal tightness back to the pre-childbirth state.”
  

• Colpoperineoplasty – the plastic repair of the vagina (“colpo”) and perineum (area between the vagina and the anus) – is the formal medical term for the surgery to tighten the vaginal canal and the vaginal opening area which has been stretched out or damaged. The popular term “vaginal rejuvenation” is often used to describe the procedure, but people have used the same term to describe non-surgical approaches, causing confusion at times.

• Using energy devices to tighten the vagina has been popularized. The laser or PF energy devices can only treat the superficial layer of the vaginal wall and cause some local tightening which won’t last, and they cannot tighten the muscles supporting the vagina since those are deep underneath the vaginal wall. The muscles and endopelvic needed to be tightened to achieve vaginal and intraoral tightness, only surgical Vaginal Rejuvenation can achieve that. FDA issued a warning to the energy device manufacturers about their claim for “vaginal rejuvenation” in 2018.

 

Dr Lau is Pleased to Guide You Through Colpoperineoplasty (Vaginoplasty, Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery) – For Regional Patients in Seattle, Vancouver, BC, and Worldwide

• Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery is performed by Dr. Lau, an experienced cosmetic vaginal surgeon with over 25 years of experience in vaginal plastic and reconstructive surgery, minimally invasive pelvic surgery, and cosmetic surgery.

• With Dr. Lau’s expertise and experience, the Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery is done with only local anesthesia (numbing medicine), thus avoiding the concerns, fear, nausea, and costs frequently associated with general anesthesia (going to sleep). Dr. Lau is one the few surgeons in the world who perform Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery using only local anesthesia. Dr. Lau has done thousands of cosmetic vaginal surgery and reconstructive vaginal surgery and knows thoroughly the surgical anatomy of the vagina to allow him to use only local anesthesia to perform the surgery comfortably for the patients.

• Same-day labiaplasty surgery can be done (after prior phone consultation) within a day trip for regional patients from Vancouver, BC, Eastern Washington, Oregon, and, of course, areas around Seattle.

• Dr. Lau would be pleased to discuss whether Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery is right for you through a complimentary telemedicine consultation with you if you are located out of the area. We have patients worldwide.

• Convenient arrangements are in place to make Vaginal Rejuvenation surgical experience easy for out-of-town patients flying into Seattle.

 

What Is The Best Technique for Vaginal Rejuvenation Surgery (Vaginoplasty, Colpoperineoplasty)?

Patients frequently ask about the best technique for Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery. Dr. Lau, who has done well over a thousand cosmetic vaginal surgeries over the last 25 years, explained:

• Successful Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery requires proper minimally invasive surgical technique, such as using sharp dissection with a scalpel or scissor instead of laser or electrocautery to avoid heat damage to tissue, especially nerve endings; using fine dissolvable stitches; and knowing the anatomy of the vaginal canal, introitus and perineum well. Doing such contributes to a successful Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery without complications. 

• I make sure to dissect the supporting muscle groups with the associated endopelvic fascia (fibrous tissues to strengthen support) adequately to allow optimal tightening. Remember, it is the muscle groups and the endopelvic fascia that offer the tightness of the vaginal structures and the perineum, not the overlying skin or vaginal wall – which will stretch easily. This is why Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery works better than any other method since the surgery tightens the deep muscles and endopelvic fascia directly to reconstruct.

• While the dissection and repair needed to be adequate and thorough, the surgery can be minimally traumatic by knowing the surgical anatomy well and using good plastic surgery techniques. This will help with easier recovery. 

• It is important to shape the labia majora during Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery to tighten the labia majora tissue while maintaining a natural look even upon the reduction of the bulk and redundancy of labia majora by strategic placement of the suturing.

• It is important to evaluate both the labia minora as well to see if a labioplasty minora should be performed at the same time.

Example:  Below are images of a patient of Dr. Lau who had Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery

What Can Be Done About A Loose, Hanging, and Wrinkled Labia Majora?

• With aging, childbirth, and body weight change, the outer lips of the vaginal opening – labia majora – may be loose, hanging with redundant tissue and wrinkles. As stated above, Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery can correct a great majority of the labia majora deficits without resorting to labioplasty majora. 

Example: Below are images if a patient of Dr. Lau who had Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery (posted with permission). Please note the dramatic improvement of her labia majora just with the Vaginal Rejuvenation without a labioplasty.

Dr. Lau presented a conference address at the 2020 ESSM meeting in Prague, Czech Republic reporting his study of using only Vaginal Rejuvenation to correct vaginal and labia majora laxity without the need for labioplasty majora – see the following video recording. Most surgeons present commented on the uniqueness of doing the surgery using only local anesthesia.

Can Vaginal Rejuvenation Surgery Be Done Using Only Local Anesthesia (Numbing Medicine) In An Office Setting?

• Most certainly, Dr. Lau performs all his cosmetic vaginal surgery procedures, including vaginoplasty and labioplasty majora, using only local anesthesia at the surgical suite in his Seattle office. Dr. Lau has been successfully doing this for thousands of patients over 25 years while ensuring a comfortable and safe surgical experience for each of them.

• Patients will be able to go home or hotel right after the surgery.

 

Will There Be A Change Or Loss Of Sensation in The Vagina After Getting A Labioplasty Majora Procedure Done?

• There should not be a decrease in sensation after Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery with or without Labioplasty. How one does the surgery – using fine and proper techniques and avoiding thermal injury by laser or cautery, for example – is the key to preserving the sensation of the vaginal area, which is richly innervated. Good minimally invasive techniques should always be used in proper surgical practice to assure that there is not a loss of sensation in the vagina after surgery.

 

Would Vaginal Rejuvenation surgery improve sexual function and satisfaction?

• Sexual function and satisfaction are complex issues, involving physical, emotional, relationship, and psychological factors.

• In general, if the issue with sexual function or satisfaction is related to physical factors such as a loose vaginal canal, Vaginal Rejuvenation should help.

• Furthermore, improving self-confidence after Vaginal Rejuvenation would further help to increase satisfaction in intimacy.

 

What Are the Risks and Potential Complications With Vaginal Rejuvenation Surgery?

•  Since only local anesthesia is used, Vaginal Rejuvenation is a safe and well-controlled procedure with Dr. Lau.

• The usual blood loss from Vaginal Rejuvenation is less than two to three tablespoons. The risk for bleeding is very minimal during or after Vaginal Rejuvenation.

• Prophylactic oral antibiotic is used to prevent infection – which is rare.

• The most common problem post-op is local swelling and some bruising. Ice pack applied locally for a couple of days helps.

• While six weeks after Vaginal Rejuvenation patient can resume all and full activities, the tissue remodeling takes up to six months to complete after Vaginal Rejuvenation (same as for facelift, abdominoplasty, etc.). At that point, if there should be any rare occurrence of asymmetry or unevenness, revision could be performed without charge.

More information on Vaginal Rejuvenation can be found on Dr. Lau’s website, with more before/after Vaginal Rejuvenation photos.

More information available on Dr. Lau’s highly watched YouTube Video on Vaginal Rejuvenation: