"Exploring Surgical Techniques for Hymen Restoration: What Are the Options?"
Hymen Repair: Surgical Methods and Procedures
With advancements in plastic surgery techniques, it is now possible to repair hymen damage caused by accidents or other reasons. What are the surgical methods for hymen repair? Today, we'll delve into this matter in detail.
Surgical Methods for Hymen Repair
1. Interposition Technique: This method is used for single-time ruptures. Firstly, a small scissor is used to separate a 0.2-0.3 cm deep pocket from the middle of the wound on one side of the mucous membrane flap. Then, the mucous membrane surface on the other side is slightly cut to create a wound. The epidermis-removed mucous membrane is inserted into the pocket on the other side, continuously sutured with 50 catgut sutures, and then intermittently stitched with 1-2 stitches to prevent tearing. The hymenal opening is approximately 0.2 cm, facilitating menstrual discharge.
2. Biological Adhesive Method: This utilizes tissue adhesives from the human body to repair the damage. The entire process takes just a few minutes to restore the original shape.
3. Immediate Repair: Suitable for patients requiring emergency care, ensuring effectiveness. This method is quick and straightforward.
4. Simple Repair: Through surgical repair and suturing, the hymen is aligned in its original position. The surgical procedure takes approximately 30-60 minutes, and upon healing, achieves a complete effect. For severely damaged cases, vaginal mucous membrane tissue is often separated for hymen reconstruction, also providing reliable results.
How to Repair the Hymen?
Before surgery, the external genitalia and vaginal opening are disinfected with an antiseptic. Local infiltration anesthesia is then administered. The ruptured hymen is trimmed with scissors and sutured neatly, leaving only a small fingertip-sized opening. Post-surgery, a small amount of antibiotic ointment is applied, and the external genitalia is cleaned daily with antiseptic to prevent infection. Sutures are typically removed after five days.
For more extensive hymen ruptures due to frequent sexual activity, the surgery may be slightly more complex, sometimes requiring small labial mucous membrane flaps on one or both sides of the vaginal opening to narrow it. The repaired hymen typically recovers within one to two months. As for the timing of marriage, two to three months post-surgery is recommended.
Situations Unsuitable for Hymen Repair
1. Hymen repair cannot be performed during pregnancy.
2. Hymen repair should be avoided during menstruation, with the most suitable time for surgery being three days after menstruation ends until ten days before the next menstrual cycle. In other words, hymen repair can be done from three days after menstruation ends until ten days before the next menstrual cycle begins.
3. Although hymen repair is a minor surgery, it's performed in small clinics as well. However, it's crucial to note that these clinics often have inferior equipment and hygiene standards, with some even operating illegally. Their doctors may be unqualified, increasing the risk of infection with unpredictable consequences. Hence, always opt for reputable hospitals to ensure surgical effectiveness and safety.
4. Women with sexually transmitted diseases or vaginitis should treat their conditions before scheduling hymen repair surgery. Additionally, sexual activity is prohibited for three days before the surgery, and personal hygiene should be maintained to prevent inflammation.
