Vaginal rejuvenation is the term often used to market surgical and other procedures that claim to restore a woman’s outer genitals to a younger state or to a pre-pregnancy and childbirth stage.

The term vaginal rejuvenation is often used interchangeably with vaginoplasty or vaginal tightening or vaginal reconstruction. The claim is that the loosening and sagging of the muscles that can happen due to aging or childbirth can be “corrected” or “reversed”, particularly if a woman has undergone muscle damage due to forceps delivery or other trauma.

The surgical procedures claim to offer beautification of the area as well as improved functioning in terms of sexual gratification for the male as well as the female.

Types of vaginal rejuvenation

Vaginal-RejuvenationHymen repair or reconstruction

This procedure is supposed to restore a woman to her pre-sexually active state and is also called hymenorrhaphy or hymenoplasty. The usual aim of this procedure is to offer proof of virginity by inducing bleeding during sexual intercourse particularly in some cultures.

A portion of the vaginal lining is used to create a new hymen along with its blood supply. Usually penetrative sex is not permitted up to a few months after this type of vaginal rejuvenation.

Vaginal tightening

It is used to tighten the muscles of the vagina that may have become flaccid or loose due to aging or childbirth. For this, surgical and non surgical options may be used: firstly a woman can try a self-help method such as Kegel’s exercises to help strengthen, tone and tighten the muscles down there which not only help with sexual gratification but also help with stress incontinence.

Secondly there are various creams and gels that contain herbs and other compounds to help tighten the muscles. Finally there is reconstruction surgery that is the most radical option because it is surgical in nature and carries the risk that any surgical procedure has.

Labioplasty

This is a procedure to improve the shape of the labia. This could be the labia minora or the inner lips of the genital area or the labia majora, which is the outer lips of the genital area or both. The procedure may be used to reduce their thickness or size as well. Most often women opt for this procedure to try and correct an existing (often congenital) abnormality where the inner lips are bigger than the outer lips.

Though it is perfectly normal for the labia minora to protrude from the labia majora, many women can have issues with this and may opt for this type of vaginal rejuvenation to correct the perceived imbalance.

Another type of labioplasty is fat grafting of labia majora where fat from elsewhere on a woman’s body is transferred to the labia majora (the outer lips of the genitals) to make it more prominent.

Liposuction from the mons pubis or pubic lift

Sometimes childbirth, weight gain and simply aging can cause fat to deposit within the mons pubis, which is the hair-covered area above the clitoris. At times the area can get so enlarged as to give a masculine appearance and may also show under clothing. This vaginal surgery removes excess fat and skin from the area and often may inject the fat into the labia majora. This type of vaginal rejuvenation may also be combined with a tummy tuck at the same time.

Reasons why women opt for vaginoplasty

There are medical reasons why women may opt for the above procedures, other than for cosmetic purposes. In such cases, legitimate requirement of the procedure may be present.

However for many women, issues relating to the genital structures may cause problems of self esteem and could negatively impact intimacy and sexual intercourse; hence impacting close relationships as well. In such cases, a careful evaluation of the situation has to be made – whether a vaginal rejuvenation procedure is warranted.

Women who feel that their vaginal muscles have weakened or that sexual pleasure has diminished, or who are concerned about the physical appearance of their genitals should get a proper evaluation of whether they are the right candidate to undergo the procedure and if it will even have the desired impact.

The likely complications of vaginal rejuvenation can be very serious, and this is not a cosmetic procedure to undergo lightly or frivolously.