How do I prepare for vaginoplasty surgery?
Your surgeon will provide thorough preoperative instructions, answer any questions you may have before your surgery, take a detailed medical history, and perform a physical exam to determine your fitness for surgery.
In advance of your procedure, your surgeon may ask you to:
- Stop smoking before undergoing surgery to promote better healing.
- Avoid taking aspirin, certain anti-inflammatory drugs, and some herbal medications that can cause increased bleeding.
- Hydrate before and after surgery for safe recovery.
Vaginoplasty is usually an outpatient procedure. You’ll need to arrange for someone to drive you home after surgery and stay with you at least the first night following surgery.
What can I expect on the day of my vaginoplasty procedure?
Be sure to consult with your surgeon before your surgery so you have the most accurate expectations.
- You may have your vaginoplasty in an accredited hospital, free-standing ambulatory facility, or office-based surgical suite.
- Most vaginoplasty surgeries take under an hour to complete but may take longer.
- The surgeon will administer medications for your comfort, including a nerve block to numb the entire vaginal area and provide 18 to 24 hours of pain control.
- General anesthesia is common for vaginoplasty procedures. In some instances, the surgeon will use local anesthesia or intravenous sedation too.
- For your safety during the surgery, various monitors will be used to check your heart, blood pressure, pulse, and the amount of oxygen circulating in your blood.
- Your surgeon will follow the surgical plan discussed with you before surgery.
- Your surgeon will remove tissue from inside your vagina and use sutures to tighten the muscles in your vaginal canal and close the incision.
- Your surgeon will apply a surgical packing inside your vagina, which you can remove the following day.
- After your surgery, you will go to a recovery area for continued monitoring.
You likely can go home after a short observation period unless you and your aesthetic plastic surgeon agree on an overnight stay or have made other plans for your immediate postoperative recovery.