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Superficial Skin Gap After Vaginoplasty. Appears To Be Healing. Do I Need An Episiotomy To Fix This?
Question: I recently had surgery six weeks ago thursday...vaginoplasty...and at four weeks post op had a stitch come out very very near to the opening of the vagina. The hole was all the way though the skin. It appears to be healing but I'm unsure as to whether this will heal all the way back out to the surface of the skin. Does anyone have any advice? Do you think I will have to have an episiotomy to completely fix this? I'm afraid that having sex will tear it all the way through. The skin between the opening of the vagina and the hole from the stitch is only about 1/8th of a cm wide
Hi,
Thanks for your query.
As I gather from your history, you have about 2 mm small gap 4 weeks after surgey which is superficial. You also believe it is healing ( becoming smaller in size).
Let me reassure you that everything is fine. the absorbable suture material (eg.vicryl) comes off later as you have experience. The small gap which you are seeing will heal in a week. You wont need any treatment or repeat surgery.
Let me reassure you that, it will not affect your sexual life later. But please dont have sex for another month till tissue healing is complete.
If still you are anxious, please have post operative checkup from surgeon who operated. You will feel mentally relaxed.
I hope ,I have answered your questions. Please accept my answer if no more queries.
Regards,
Dr.Mahesh Koregol
Thanks for your query.
As I gather from your history, you have about 2 mm small gap 4 weeks after surgey which is superficial. You also believe it is healing ( becoming smaller in size).
Let me reassure you that everything is fine. the absorbable suture material (eg.vicryl) comes off later as you have experience. The small gap which you are seeing will heal in a week. You wont need any treatment or repeat surgery.
Let me reassure you that, it will not affect your sexual life later. But please dont have sex for another month till tissue healing is complete.
If still you are anxious, please have post operative checkup from surgeon who operated. You will feel mentally relaxed.
I hope ,I have answered your questions. Please accept my answer if no more queries.
Regards,
Dr.Mahesh Koregol
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Ok...I think most of my question was misunderstood.
"As I gather from your history, you have about 2 mm small gap 4 weeks after surgey which is superficial. You also believe it is healing ( becoming smaller in size)."
I have about a 2 mm piece of skin, yes, but it is between the vaginal opening and the hole that I'm talking about. It's not a small gap. It's a hole in the skin. Not superficial at all. The hole started out about the size of a pencil eraser and goes all the way through my skin....like having an extra vaginal hole that could tear all the way through if I had sex. Yes it does appear to be healing though.
"Let me reassure you that everything is fine. the absorbable suture material (eg.vicryl) comes off later as you have experience. The small gap which you are seeing will heal in a week. You wont need any treatment or repeat surgery."
The stitch came all the way out through the front of the skin and was never absorbed. It left the hole. It's not a small gap....it's a hole, and it has already been ttwo weeks since it happened and it's not all the way healed. The hole was so big that it will probably take another month of healing to fill in with skin if it is going to heal all the way. What are the chances of the skin healing all the way back out to the epidermis without there being like a crater type scar? I'm really afraid to have sex. That it may tear all the way through that 2 mm piece of skin between the vaginal opening and the hole from the suture.
Thanks,
XXXXXXX
"As I gather from your history, you have about 2 mm small gap 4 weeks after surgey which is superficial. You also believe it is healing ( becoming smaller in size)."
I have about a 2 mm piece of skin, yes, but it is between the vaginal opening and the hole that I'm talking about. It's not a small gap. It's a hole in the skin. Not superficial at all. The hole started out about the size of a pencil eraser and goes all the way through my skin....like having an extra vaginal hole that could tear all the way through if I had sex. Yes it does appear to be healing though.
"Let me reassure you that everything is fine. the absorbable suture material (eg.vicryl) comes off later as you have experience. The small gap which you are seeing will heal in a week. You wont need any treatment or repeat surgery."
The stitch came all the way out through the front of the skin and was never absorbed. It left the hole. It's not a small gap....it's a hole, and it has already been ttwo weeks since it happened and it's not all the way healed. The hole was so big that it will probably take another month of healing to fill in with skin if it is going to heal all the way. What are the chances of the skin healing all the way back out to the epidermis without there being like a crater type scar? I'm really afraid to have sex. That it may tear all the way through that 2 mm piece of skin between the vaginal opening and the hole from the suture.
Thanks,
XXXXXXX
Hi,
Thanks for reverting back with detailed and clear history.
If it is a hole persiting even after six weeks of surgery which was of pencil eraser size & slowly healing, it is better to be examined by the surgen who has operated this.
Because in some instances there could be following possibilities:
1) Infection of the wound which leads to non healing as you are describing.
2) Sinus formation: A communication could have formed with another area below the wound during surgery. Thugh chance of sinus formation is very rare, it has to be kept in mind.
3) Stitch might have given away before complete healing of wound and hence you have the unhealed wound which should have healed by now.
Both the above conditions can be diagnoses ONLY by examining and seeing the wound you are describing.
It is advisable not to have sexual intercourse till wound healing is complete. Please have a followup visit with surgeon who has operated you and decide exact cause of the unhealed wound and treat accordingly.
Let me now if you have any more questions, If no more wueries, please accept my answer.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Regards.
Thanks for reverting back with detailed and clear history.
If it is a hole persiting even after six weeks of surgery which was of pencil eraser size & slowly healing, it is better to be examined by the surgen who has operated this.
Because in some instances there could be following possibilities:
1) Infection of the wound which leads to non healing as you are describing.
2) Sinus formation: A communication could have formed with another area below the wound during surgery. Thugh chance of sinus formation is very rare, it has to be kept in mind.
3) Stitch might have given away before complete healing of wound and hence you have the unhealed wound which should have healed by now.
Both the above conditions can be diagnoses ONLY by examining and seeing the wound you are describing.
It is advisable not to have sexual intercourse till wound healing is complete. Please have a followup visit with surgeon who has operated you and decide exact cause of the unhealed wound and treat accordingly.
Let me now if you have any more questions, If no more wueries, please accept my answer.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
Regards.
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Yogesh D
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