Virginity Repair Surgery

These day, virginity repair or restoration surgery, or medically termed as hymenoplasty, becomes quite popular among women. There are many websites on the internet, like revirgination.net, that offer many benefits and ease to this vagina plastic surgery. Many of them come with reasons, such as to make their boyfriend or husband happy with the sexual intercourse they have, and so on. Virginity repair surgery or hymenoplasty (or sometimes called as hymenorrhaphy) today is undergone by women from old to young and from many different countries and rages.

BBC interviews a surgeon that is able to perform hymenoplasty. Dr. Abecassis, the surgeon, recalls that in a week, he could perform two or three hymenoplasties. The patients vary from all kind of social backgrounds, but most of them are young women with age about 23-27. Mostly, their reasons are about the need of virginity before getting married with their boyfriends because virginity becomes an important thing based on their traditions or family cultures. Dr. Abecassis admits that he never judges whether certain patient really has to undergo the surgery or not; he just does his task. For the record, Dr. Abecassis is one of very few Arab surgeons who want to talk openly about it.

For Dr. Abecassis, vagina repair surgery is both a mere medical plastic surgery and a taboo reinforcement. But for his patients, hymenoplasty is surely the only option—that makes them happy. Hymenoplasty is proven to be low risk, but still it is quite expensive. The high cost of the surgery sometimes make another non-medical procedure become an interesting alternative. BBC reported that there is a website that markets Chinese-made artificial hymens for only £20 or about 23 euors. It is created with elastic plastic and filled with fake blood, so once it it inserted in the vaginas, after the first penetration the woman can drip blood out of her vagina just to simulate virginity. The problem with this is that many married couple will agree the wrong definition about hymen and virginity—that somehow, torn hymen is not always caused by sexual penetration premarriage.

This is proven in an interview to a young man, who admitted that although the society accepts that virginity is not in tact in making decision before marriage, he refused to marry such a woman with lack of virginity.

A website called NewHymen.dk gives a more arguable explanation about this situation. It suggests that women do not have to feel that hymenoplasty is the only option available to repair their torn hymen. This website was created and run by a woman who admits as “a nurse, a social worker, and a professional educator”. It gives several explanations that are against the old formula and taboo like using chicken livers due to the infection whatsoever. It even suggests the readers to ask for some pill prescription to doctor—or if the readers are currently consuming the pill, it suggests them to plan their period to match the first night after marriage. This is a little bit pragmatic, actually, but it comprehends the gap between the feeling of guilty that women had and the reasonable solution to fight it.

That being said, an alternative—a heart-pleasing alternative—to young women is already available with the presence of these kinds of sites. There is an available solution to deal with their past and heal the wound and fear about family culture or men’s perception. The good thing from these websites is, like in a forum where a member—a young woman—wrote about what she feels about this virginity problem, they provide solution to see that hymenoplasty is not the only choice.

Hymenoplasty (Revirginisation procedure)

Hymenoplasty is the term to refer a vagina plastic surgery that aims to repair broken hymen inside a woman’s vagina. Many patient do this surgery as a form of virginity repair and most of them do it some days before wedding. The point of hymenoplasty is to pierce together the tear of the hymen. But, before hymen reconstruction is performed, surgeons have to approximate if the hymenal remnants inside the vagina are sufficient to be repaired. If not, surgeons may consider using sompe part of vaginal flap. It then creates a vascular band across the introitus. Of course, patient will be put under anesthetic just like normal surgery. It is short because it only takes about one or two hours.

Hymenoplasty is no doubt a virginity repair surgery. Many cultural, religious, or social norms are against this surgery because they believe hymen is not a proof of virginity. Therefore, hymenoplasty is just mere to make the patient looks virginal, not bring back her virginity like in the first place. But, there are also other social or family values that insist of having the bride’s vagina bleeding after the first penetration in the first night after wedding. Whatever reasons of the patient to undergo a hymenoplasty, hymenoplasty is a medically safe surgery as long as each procedures are done carefully.

All women can be patients of hymenoplasty. Whether their hymens were torn due to premarital sexual intercourse or just unintentionally torn because of some accidents, hymenoplasty can be performed. However, there is only one condition that disallow women to do hymenoplasty. That is if she suffered from some venereal disease.

Several reasons of a woman performing hymenoplasty, are:

• As a woman ages, the vagina muscles get loose and elongated. Some women do not want to be in this condition. Therefore, some of them prefer having hymenoplasty to deal with this aging problem.
• Hymen is actually one reason that makes your sexual activity with your partner becomes more satisfying. Maybe you and your partner want to enjoy a coitus just like when you were a virgin? Here, hymenoplasty gives a solution.
• Just like previously said, some women had their hymens torn not because of sexual penetration. Instead, they had it because of sexual abuse, rape, or other accidents. Hymenoplasty can heal the wound of these accidents so that everything would be back as if they weren’t happened.
• Re-marriage is also another cause of hymenoplasty. Some cultures insist a widow to perform hymenoplasty before she remarriages to another man, because they believe that virginity only belongs to the husband.

The advantages of hymenoplasty? Of course, the patient’s hymen will be tighten up just like a virgin. But what is it for? Hymen can give a more pleasure sensation to a woman during sexual intercourse. She will feel fuller inside her vagina and she has a bigger probability to have orgasm. Moreover, hymenoplasty is performed in relatively short time (and the recovery time is also short).

After undergoing this virginity repair surgery, a woman must take care of herself. This includes a slight change in her lifestyle. She has to make sure that no outer accident happened and tore her hymen, except after sexual intercourse. She musts keep her vagina clean. Remember, although the recovery time of hymenoplasty is relatively short, always wait for some reasonable time before doing sexual activity. It is to make sure that the wound after surgery is completely healed. Avoid hardworking or lifting heavy things for about a week after hymenoplasty because hymen is prone to be torn again because of the pressure within the vagina.

Vaginoplasty Procedures

Vaginoplasty is a term of plastic and construction surgery which aims to construct, reconstruct, or reshape vagina, both in cis women and trans women. There are many kinds of vaginoplasty procedures that current surgeons use. Some of them including:

Balloon vaginoplasty

Balloon vaginoplasty is a new technique of vaginoplasty. It is simple by technic, physically safe, and a good alternative of vaginoplasty, especially in creating a new vagina, if the common laparoscopic surgery is unsafe. Balloon vaginoplasty is mostly used to treat vaginal aplasia. Balloon vaginoplasty is done by inserting a foley catheter into rectouterine pouch, where gradual traction and distension are placed to create new vagina.

Buccal (oral) mucosa

Still a relatively new technique, buccal or oral mucosa is used in treating vaginal agenesis. Buccal or oral mucosa is used as a tissue for the vagina lining (or 8 cm deep). Its advantages includes the good qualities, biological and from recovery process, of the patient. Meanwhile, the downside of this technique is regarding to the very limited size of vaginal (both in depth and width), and the potent of intraoral damage and complications.

Colovaginoplasty

Also known as colon section surgery, colovaginoplasty uses a part of the sigmoid colon to shape a vaginal lining. Usually, colovaginoplasty is preferred as vaginoplastic in women with some specific conditions, including androgen hormone insensitivity, vaginal and mullerian agenesis, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and other genital conditions which makes it unable to do vaginal deepening to be an alternative way to inverse penile—both with and without any accompanying graft skin (sometimes from the stomach and upper thigh). Colovaginoplasty is often recommended by most surgeons to trans women patient who wants to undergo a vaginal plastic and reconstruction surgery.

Don Flap (labia minora flap)

Just like penile inversion, the Don Flap or labia minora flap correction in vaginoplasty joins the labia minora altogeher to shape a new vagina. This is an improvement of vaginoplasty surgery which utilizes the hood skin (prepucial skin) of clitoris as a horse-shoe shaped piece flap. Many surgeons find that the Don Flap technique is easier and simpler, but it also comes with a downside, including the necessity to do labiaplasty and cervical dilation restoratively to create a vagina with a good size, both in depth and width.

McIndoe technique

The McIndoe vaginoplasty technique utilizes split-thickness skin grafts that cover a mold, which then is inserted to a surgically created space, between the bladder and the rectum. The principal, technical difference between the McIndoe vaginoplasty and the Vecchietti vaginoplasty, is which tissue to utilize to line the created neovagina. Each surgical procedure has positive and negative factors, especially regarding upon whom such a plastic surgical technique can be applied, because the post-operative outcome varies with the patient’s indications.

Penile inversion

This is actually more common for a sex reassignment surgery, especially in trans women. Penile inversion is a vaginoplasty method that creates a new vagina. It is one of the two most common and important procedure in vaginoplasty. It removes the spongiform erectile tissue of the penis and the skin, together with the nerves and blood system, is utilized to make a vestibule and labia minora area. Some parts of the head of the penis is used to shape the clitoris, while the urethra is cut short to end at the proper place like in normal vagina. Sometimes, to make the clitoris, urethral spongiform tissue is used. Although this is the most common part of a vaginoplasty, some surgeons prefer not to shape a new clitoris in this method but choosing a separate procedure instead.

Vecchietti procedure

Vecchietti method is a method of laparoscopic surgery to treat mullerian agenesis. It results in a new vagina with sizes similar or comparable to normal vagina). “Olive”, a small plastical sphere is used as a thread against vagina. The “olive” is then drawn from the vaginal skin to the abdomen, via the navel. It is then placed on a traction device. Every day, the “olive” is tighten up so that it pulls and strecthes the vagina by about a centimeter in a day. So, in seven days, the thread will shape a 7 x 7 (width and shape) cm of vagina. Depending on the condition of the patient, Vecchietti method could take at least 45 minutes.

Wilson Method

This method is different from any other common penile-inversion method. Wilson method uses a three stages surgery, including two stages of beginning vaginoplasty. This method is started like common penile inversion. Then, after the creation of vaginal-vault step, it is then left as a raw tissue and packed with a sterile stent. In five until seven days, it is lined with a graft skin from bottoms. The penile skin itself is utilized to shape a labia minora, frenulum, and clitoral hooding, while the glans penis is utilized to make a clitoris. The scrotum is also used to make a labia majora.  

Introduction to Vaginoplasty

Vaginoplasty is a medical term referring to a plastic and reconstructive surgery to the vagina and its mucous membrane. Vaginoplasty is required on some medical conditions like the absence or deformity of vulvo-vaginal structure because of sexual disease or other genetics problem. Sometimes vaginoplasty is performed for aesthetic purposes. While vaginoplasty scopes only some kinds of cosmetic reconstruction and correction of vagina, neovaginoplasty scopes the procedures of construction or reconstruction of the vulvo-vaginal structure, either partially or entirely. Vaginoplasty is also known as vaginal rejuvenation, cosmetic vaginal surgery, or aesthetic vaginal surgery. The goal of vaginoplasty varies, from increase the function of the vulvo vaginal structure, to reshape the vagina for aesthetic purposes, or to heal diseases or symptoms happened on the vagina due to daily activities, sex, or others. Mostly, the general procedure of a vaginoplasty is lifting the skin of vulva and vagina. It is done by cutting off excess vaginal skin and retightening the soft tissues and muscles around the vagina. Labiaplasty is a plastic reconstruction surgery around the labia to decrease or reshape the small lips (called labia minora) outside the vagina. Sometimes, labiaplasty is combined with vaginoplasty. This surgery is called vaginal rejuvenation. After performing this plastic and reconstructive surgery, a person could still doing sexual activities with opposite sex although sensitivity could be a little bit decreased. Menstruation and fertilization are also possible, as long as the uterus and ovaries function normally. Even vaginal childbirth is also possible.

In case of sex reassignment surgery, vaginoplasty is more to be undergone by transwomen regarding to their physical sex transition. A longer period of recovery (about six weeks) is needed to allow sexual activity after surgery and to have a good sensation in sex. The biggest difference in performing vaginoplasty to transwomen is to dilating the vagina. The vaginal stent is then cut off several days after surgery, and after that, the vaginal dilation is started. It requires a complete set of dilators for every dilation took place, and each of this tool has an increasing size. Smaller dilators are used for the first or the second week (or sometimes the fourth week) for several times. Then the size of dilators used increase once per day, every other day, once in a week, until the largest-sized tool is used. This frequency is sometimes used rarer, especially for trans women who perform vaginoplasty. But, the important thing is the time spared between each dilation (or more specifically, the time after surgery) has too be short enough to decrease any difficulties in re-dilating. Vaginal dilation is important in vaginoplasty, because it allows the patient to do sexual intercourse. Vaginoplasty also requires some reshapement to the dimensions of the vagina, including the depth (Denonvillier’s Fascia), diameter (the Levator ani muscle), and narrowness—especially in transwomen.

To reshape vaginal and vulvo-vaginal areas of the patient, autologous (patient-derived) tissue from the patient is also used. Other tissue that can be used for this surgical procedures are the oral mucosa, the skin flaps, the skin grafts, the vaginal labia, the penile tissue, the penile skin, intestinal mucosa, and scrotal skin. It is also important to clear the follicles from the skin graft (if it grows hairs), usually by electrocauterization, by depilating it intra-operatively, or by manual hands. There are many different procedures of vaginoplasty, but mostly what is discussed here is the general procedure of it. Some advancement of vaginoplasty also exist, regarding to current technologies.