This elective surgical procedure involves removing redundant tissue from the opening to the vagina. Depending on the extent of the repair required, the procedure is either done in the office setting with local anesthesia, or in the ambulatory surgery center operating room under IV sedation and local anesthesia combined.
This surgery is purely cosmetic and does not result in any alteration to the muscles of the pelvic floor, near the bladder or rectum. The procedure normally takes less than one hour to perform, and patients leave the office or surgery center with oral pain medication to take following the surgery. Most patients feel able to return to work within a few days, and can move without significant discomfort the day after the procedure. It is recommended that patients abstain from vaginal sexual activity for 6 weeks following the surgery, so that maximum healing can occur. Stitches placed during the surgery dissolve naturally within 3 weeks and therefore do not have to be removed.