Preputioplasty and Labiaplasty â?? Reconstructive Surgery for the Genitals

Men often suffer from a condition called
phimosis where it is difficult for the foreskin to retract fully
from the penis. This is not only a cosmetic problem but also
functional, as it causes difficulty while urinating or
intercourse. Similarly, women may face problems of damaged vagina
because of childbirth or an enlarged labia causing discomfort.
For these conditions, a person consults an urologist who usually
recommends preutioplasty and labiaplasty as a correctional
surgery.

Phimosis in men is said to occur during
developing years that gets resolved on its own. However, at
times, trauma or diseases like developing tissues of white ring
on foreskin stops the skin to retract. Though it is not clear
what causes it, some believe that is brought on by bacterial or
viral infection, or auto-immune disease. In another condition,
there is redness and rashes on penis and foreskin along with
pain and discharge.

Earlier, phimosis was treated using
either steroid creams or circumcision. As circumcision used to
cause much pain after the surgery, people started to look for
minimal invasive procedure. That's when they came across

preputioplasty
, which preserved the foreskin by making small Y-shaped
incisions to widen the ring at the end of the foreskin. The
whole procedure can be completed in an hour and bring down the
recovery time to few days to few weeks.

On the other hand, women wanting to
restore their vagina would like to undergo

labiaplasty
. A labiaplasty tries to improve the appearance of vagina
by reducing the labia. They may however be asked to make a
choice between labia minora reduction and labia majora
reduction. Labia minora reduction reduces the large labia
minora that are visible while wearing swimsuits, leotards or
any revealing clothes. Moreover, it may cause pain and
discomfort during sex, wetness and irritation and discomfort
during exercise. Labia majora though common, gets aggravated by
estrogen stimulation, childbirth and extreme weight loss. It
becomes noticeable while wearing tight-fitting clothes and may
get embarrassing. Both labia minora reduction and labia majora
reduction are often performed in conjunction with each other
for better results.

Labiaplasty is performed sedatives and
anesthesia and may take about an hour. After making an outline,
excess tissue is removed and sutured allowing the area to heal
properly. The scars formed are made to hide between the crease
of labia minora and labia majora. The recovery time is of few
weeks and requires the patient to stay away from strenuous
activity, keep the area clean and take the medicines as
prescribed.