ZERO-DEPTH VAGINOPLASTY: What is it and why would patients choose it?
One of the procedures that Dr. McClung and his team at Reconstructive Surgical Arts performs is a Zero-Depth Vaginoplasty. There is a lot of confusion out there about the appropriate gender-affirming surgical procedure for someone who wants to create a vagina, and our team is ready to help you with the safest procedure that meets your needs. The best thing to do when you’re trying to decide on what surgery is right for you is to schedule a consultation with Dr. McClung by calling the office.
A Zero-Depth Vaginoplasty, medically known as a vulvaplasty, is making the outside of the female genitalia but not the inside. The term vulvaplasty comes from vulva (the outside of the female genitalia) and plasty (to make). What this means for the patient is that they will have all of the outside female genitalia: we make the labia, we do make the clitoris, and we reposition the urethra at a lower level so the urine comes out below the clitoris. What we don’t create is the vaginal canal, which allows for penetrative, vaginal intercourse. A Zero-Depth Vaginoplasty does not allow for penetrative, vaginal intercourse.
Why would patients choose to have a Zero-Depth Vaginoplasty rather than a traditional Vaginoplasty? There are a lot of different reasons that Dr. McClung will discuss during the consultation. The first being that the person doesn’t desire receptive , vaginal intercourse. The biggest risk of getting a full-depth vaginoplasty is the dissection of the vaginal canal, and that procedure has added risks, along with a significant added layer of healing and time of healing. For a Zero-Depth Vaginoplasty it’s not uncommon to have a 30-day recovery time to where they are back to normal activities. This procedure also does not require laser or electrolysis hair removal prior to the surgery.
For a full-depth vaginoplasty, dilation is required of the vaginal canal on a lifelong basis. This dilation has to continue for the rest of the patient’s life because they could lose the vaginal canal. Functionally, if dilation is not completed, the patient will have a Zero-Depth Vaginoplasty.
One last reason that patients choose a Zero-Depth Vaginoplasty or vulvaplasty is because they are medically high-risk. The people who fall into that category are ones that could have had a problem in that part of their anatomy in the past. Some things that we see that prevent a full-depth vaginoplasty are colon cancer, and the radiation and surgery to heal from that, prostate cancer with surgery or radiation, or a really significant case of Crohn’s Disease which is an inflammatory bowel disease. All three of these cause abnormally high risk for dissecting out the canal so doctors such as Dr. McClung often will make the decision that the risk is too high to outweigh the benefits of a full-depth feminizing procedure.
Are you interested in a feminizing procedure like a Zero-Depth Vaginoplasty? Please contact Reconstructive Surgical Arts today to schedule your consultation.