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The treatment:

This procedure should be carried out by a surgeon with relevant skills and experience in an establishment registered with the Healthcare Commission.

Vaginal tightening surgery takes around an hour, but the patient may need to stay overnight. The patient will have general anaesthetic or local anaesthetic combined with sedation.

The procedure is usually carried out with traditional surgical methods, but sometimes a laser is used. The surgeon joins the stretched muscle at the back of the vagina together and shortens it, before removing the unwanted skin. This reduces excess vaginal lining and tightens vaginal muscles. The scarring is inside the vagina.

Vaginal tightening may also be performed using a laser.

The results:

Most women find that there is an increase in the tightness of their vaginal muscles, and some women say that the surgery restores their vagina to how it was before pregnancy.

The risks:

General risks associated with surgery - see Considering cosmetic surgery?

Patients will be sore and swollen after surgery, but should be able to walk without discomfort within a few days and should be able to go back to work after about a week. They should avoid sex for between four and six weeks. Overtightening can lead to urine retention.

• Considering cosmetic surgery?

Before you start:

Make sure that your expectations are realistic. Talk to your doctor about what vaginal tightening surgery can achieve for you, and whether laser surgery or traditional surgery will suit you better. You may want to look into other things - such as pelvic floor exercises - that may boost or maintain vaginal tightness.

Also see:

• Female genital reshaping