Penile inversion

From Susan's Place Transgender Wiki

Penile inversion is a surgical technique for genital reassignment used to construct a neo-vagina from a penis for transwomen, sometimes also for intersex people. It is one of two main sorts of vaginoplasty, along with colovaginoplasty.

[edit] The operation

The procedure starts after initial prep, (most notable part being the use of a laxative to clean out the bowls a day or 2 beforehand) with an incision in the scrotum to harvest some of its skin, and the gonads are removed. Now the penile skin is degloved (the outside skin cut and separated from the tissues underneath it) and both (skin) tissues are handed over to assistants for processing. The way the vaginal lining is constructed, varies by surgeon, along with how much skin material he or she has to fashion with. If the patient lacks adequate skin tissue, the surgeon will often advise (before hand) for the taking of a skin graft from the thigh. At this point, some surgeons will begin to create a vaginal cavity, while others will continue separating the tissues of the penis into the soon to be cut away corpora cavernosae, (erectile tissue) glans, (head of the penis) and urethra. Usually now the clitoris is fabricated from the previously separated glans, being careful to preserve the blood supply and nervous tissues, and placed approximately where it will be permanently located. The newly constructed vaginal lining should, at this point, be ready for insertion and is secured into the cavity created in the perineal body. (the space in between the urethra and bladder, and the colon) The last steps in the operation include trimming the urethra and securing it in its final location, the final touches to the labia, and preparing the patient for recovery. (which includes packing the new vagina with gauze, and temporarily sewing the labia majora together to keep everything in place during the first 5 or so days of recovery)

In some cases, a later operation, labiaplasty, is advised to make more aesthetic and/or functional results; or if the surgeon believes it is better to wait until the body heals than complete it all in one go.

Dr. Suporn Watanyusakul uses a technique that differs from a typical penile inversion, as he uses scrotal skin which has been perforated (like a mesh) and stretched. The penile skin is used to fabricate the labia. Proponents of Dr. Suporn’s technique often claim superior results over other forms of vaginoplasty.

This photo was taken 79 days post op and depicts fairly typical results by Dr Brassard who uses the penile inversion technique. In this picture there is still some swelling in the tissue above the clitoral hood, and the scaring is fading as expected.

79 days post-op (Dr Brassard was the surgeon), photo of Steph.

[edit] Advantages

The advantages to this procedure include:

Less out of pocket costs
Less post surgical complications
Faster recovery
Aesthetic and functional results that are “good enough” for most people

[edit] Disadvantages

The disadvantages to this procedure include:

Patients without adequate skin tissue may require skin grafts to achieve desired depth
The aesthetic and functional results vary greatly between the best and worst surgeons
Best results may require a second stage labiaplasty
Requires life-long dilation
Self-lubricating properties vary from person to person

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Graphic walkthrough of the procedure
GRS Surgeons
- Dr's Brassard & Menard of Montreal

[edit] Discuss

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