Vaginoplasty & Tightening · Treatment

Vaginoplasty (Vaginal Tightening Surgery) in Gangnam, Seoul

Vaginoplasty is surgery that tightens and rebuilds a vagina that has loosened after childbirth, aging or menopause. At Somssi Women's Clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, it is performed as a posterior colporrhaphy using your own tissue: the back vaginal wall is thickened, the pelvic floor muscles are brought back together and, when the uterus has descended, it is lifted and fixed in place. Surgery takes about an hour and you go home the same day.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD, OB/GYN specialist, Somssi Women's Clinic · Last updated October 2026

At a glance

Key facts

The essentials, based on how Somssi Women's Clinic performs this procedure or answers this question. Your plan is confirmed at consultation.

• Procedure time: 50 minutes to 1 hour
• Anesthesia: Sedation ("sleep") anesthesia plus long-acting local; local alone on request
• Hospital stay: None; same-day discharge once you have urinated
• Back to work: Desk work immediately or the next day
• Intercourse: After 7–8 weeks
• Sutures: Absorbable, dissolve in about 1 week; no removal visit
• Performed by: Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD, OB/GYN specialist, operating since 2000

What is vaginoplasty?

Vaginoplasty, also called vaginal tightening surgery or posterior colporrhaphy, is a reconstructive gynecologic operation that narrows a vagina that has widened and restores the muscular support beneath it. In the clinic's own terminology this is "Mrs. Vaginoplasty," the version designed for women who have given birth or who have reached menopause.

Somssi Women's Clinic is a surgical gynecology clinic in Gangnam, Seoul, founded in 2000 and led by Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, MD, PhD. Vaginoplasty is the procedure the clinic is best known for, and Dr. Yoon has published peer-reviewed research on how pelvic repair affects sexual function.

It helps to be clear about what the operation is not. It is not a laser treatment, not a filler injection and not a small tuck at the vaginal opening. It is a repair of the vaginal wall and pelvic floor from the inside out, which is why the result is structural rather than temporary.

Who is a good candidate?

You may be a good candidate if you recognize yourself in one or more of the following:

• Looseness, reduced friction or reduced sensation during intercourse after one or more births
• Air escaping from the vagina, or water entering it when you bathe
• A feeling of heaviness or of "something dropping" in the pelvis, especially after long days on your feet
• A descended uterus (mild uterine prolapse), cystocele or rectocele found on examination
• Stress urinary incontinence, recurrent vaginitis or odor from secretions pooling in a widened canal
• Thinning, dryness or an uneven canal after menopause that has made intercourse uncomfortable
• Disappointment after an earlier vaginal surgery, laser treatment or filler elsewhere

Mild laxity without symptoms does not always need an operation. Where the pelvic floor is still reasonably strong, Dr. Yoon may suggest pelvic floor training with an EMS (automatic Kegel) device first. Women who have not given birth are usually better served by the nulliparous version of the procedure described on our vaginal tightening page. Our guide Who Is a Good Candidate for Vaginoplasty? goes into more detail.

How Somssi performs vaginoplasty

The operation is planned from measurements taken at your consultation: vaginal length, width and wall thickness, pelvic floor strength, and the position of the uterus on examination and ultrasound. A normal adult vagina is about 8 to 9 cm long; when the cervix sits much lower than that, uterine support becomes part of the plan.

Starting from the inside

Many conventional tightening procedures begin at the vaginal opening and work inward, which tends to narrow the entrance while leaving the upper vagina wide. Dr. Yoon reverses this. Surgery begins deep inside, at the posterior fornix just in front of the cervix, and works outward toward the opening so that the whole length of the canal is treated.

Mucosal peeling under 1 mm

Instead of cutting away a strip of vaginal wall, the thin mucosal lining of the posterior wall is peeled to a thickness of less than 1 mm using fine ophthalmic micro-scissors. The design is typically 2, 3 or 4 cm wide depending on how much narrowing is needed. The anterior wall, where the urethra, bladder and the sensitive G-spot region lie, is deliberately left untouched.

Hysteropexy and culdoplasty when the uterus has dropped

If the uterus has descended, it is lifted by roughly 2 to 4 cm and fixed by suturing its supporting tissues, and the cul-de-sac behind the cervix is closed. The uterus is preserved; hysterectomy is reserved for genuine uterine disease. You can read more on our Uterine Prolapse Surgery page.

Two-layer suturing with your own tissue

The pelvic floor muscles on either side of the peeled area are gathered toward the midline first. The peeled tissue is then folded and secured with a primary fold suture and a second, spindle-shaped (fusiform) suture. This two-layer closure thickens the posterior wall by about 2 to 3 cm and gives the inside a ridged, washboard-like surface. No mesh, bands, implants or fillers are used at any point.

Figure-8 strengthening at the opening

Finally, the pubococcygeus (PC) muscles at the vaginal opening are reinforced with a figure-8 suturing pattern so that the entrance and the canal end up the same consistent size. The target is a vagina similar to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the cervix, not an over-tight entrance.

Anesthesia, duration and hospital stay

Vaginoplasty takes about 50 minutes to 1 hour. It is performed under sedation ("sleep") anesthesia combined with a mixture of long-acting local anesthetics, so you have no memory of the operation and wake with the area already numb. If you prefer, it can be done under local anesthesia only. A non-narcotic anti-inflammatory injection is given at the end of surgery.

There is no hospital stay. You walk out of the operating room, rest, and are discharged once you have urinated, usually within a few hours. A morning operation typically means going home at lunchtime. Before your visit, fast for 2 hours, wear loose clothing and remove nail polish.

Recovery timeline

Depending on your symptoms you may be offered 0 to 5 short follow-up treatments. Patients who live abroad can manage aftercare at home and check in by message or video. See How Long Does Vaginoplasty Recovery Take? for the full schedule.

Results and what to expect

Most women notice a firmer, more consistent canal and a stronger pelvic floor contraction once healing is complete. Because nerves and blood vessels in the posterior wall are preserved rather than cut, sensation and natural lubrication are protected; in the clinic's experience they often improve as the thickened wall gains new blood supply over the following five to six months.

Where a descended uterus has been lifted, the heavy, dragging feeling usually eases, and a narrower canal traps less secretion, which can reduce odor and recurrent vaginitis. Results vary with age, tissue quality, menopause status and any future childbirth, and no surgeon can promise a particular sexual outcome. The clinic documents your result with before-and-after internal photographs at around eight weeks.

Risks and how we reduce them

Vaginoplasty is a real operation and carries real risks: bleeding, infection, wound separation, over- or under-correction, scarring, altered sensation, pain with intercourse and recurrence of laxity, particularly after a further vaginal birth. Posterior repair specifically carries a small risk of injury to the rectum or the peritoneal cul-de-sac. Sedation carries its own anesthesia risks, which is why your medical history and medications are reviewed beforehand.

We reduce these risks by peeling rather than cutting the mucosa, by operating only on the posterior wall, by avoiding any foreign material that could erode or become infected, and by sizing the canal to the cervix instead of over-tightening the opening. If a problem does arise, you have direct contact with the clinic. Our guide Is Vaginoplasty in Korea Safe? discusses each risk in turn.

Why international patients choose Somssi

The clinic has been registered with the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare as an institution for foreign patients since 2011 and became a Seoul Medical Tourism cooperation clinic in 2016. Consultations are available in English, same-day discharge means no hospital admission, and follow-up can be completed from abroad.

The clinic is 100 meters from Gangnam Station Exit 1, in the heart of Seoul's medical district. Dr. Yoon has operated since 2000 and has presented his pelvic floor and sexual-function research at ESSM, ISSWSH, WAS and SMSNA meetings. Learn more on our international patients page, meet Dr. Yoon Ho-joo, or contact us to send your questions.

Questions patients ask

Frequently asked questions

Short, honest answers. For anything personal, a consultation is the right place to ask.

See the full FAQ →

Does vaginoplasty tighten the whole vagina or just the opening?

At Somssi the repair runs the full length of the canal. Surgery begins deep inside at the posterior fornix and finishes at the opening, so the inner vagina is narrowed and thickened, not just the entrance. Over-tightening the opening alone is a common reason earlier operations disappoint: the inside still feels wide while intercourse becomes painful at the entrance.

Will I lose sensation after vaginoplasty?

The technique is designed to protect sensation. The mucosa is peeled under 1 mm rather than excised, the anterior wall with the urethra and G-spot region is not touched, and no nerves are deliberately cut. Some numbness or tenderness is normal while swelling settles. The clinic reports that sensation and lubrication often improve as the thickened wall regains blood supply over several months, though individual results vary.

Can I have vaginoplasty after menopause?

Yes. Many of the clinic's patients are in their fifties and sixties. After menopause the vaginal wall is thinner and the entrance is sometimes narrowed, so the plan is adjusted: tightening of a loose interior may be combined with widening of a tight or scarred opening, and hormone therapy may be discussed. See our page on vaginal stenosis for the opposite problem.

Can I still have children after vaginoplasty?

Vaginoplasty does not affect fertility, and pregnancy is possible afterward. A later vaginal birth can, however, stretch the repair and bring back laxity, and a cesarean delivery may be discussed with your obstetrician. If you plan more children, many women choose to wait and have surgery once their family is complete. Dr. Yoon will talk this through with you honestly at consultation.

Is vaginoplasty painful?

Long-acting local anesthetics are infiltrated during surgery and an anti-inflammatory injection is given at the end, so most women wake comfortable and walk out the same day. Oral medication is prescribed for about five days. Soreness when sitting or passing stool during the first week is normal; severe pain, fever or heavy bleeding are not, and should be reported to the clinic promptly.

Can vaginoplasty and labiaplasty be done at the same time?

Yes. Labia minora reduction is often combined with vaginoplasty in the same session. Aftercare for the labia differs slightly: an ice pack for three days, clinic ointment applied with a cotton swab, and dissolvable stitches that may optionally be trimmed at two weeks. Read more on our Labiaplasty page.

Keep reading

Related treatments and guides

• How Long Does Vaginoplasty Recovery Take? — the week-by-week healing schedule
• How Much Does Vaginoplasty Cost in Korea? — what shapes your written estimate
• Is Vaginoplasty in Korea Safe? — every risk and how it is managed
• Vaginoplasty in Korea for Foreigners: Complete Medical Tourism Guide — planning the trip
• Posterior Colporrhaphy — the surgical technique in detail
• Uterine Prolapse Surgery — when the uterus has descended as well
• International Patients — how we support you before and after travel

Sources and medical review

• Yoon H.J. Perineal plastic surgery (colpoperineoplasty) and female sexual function. Korean Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 48, no. 6, 2005.
• Yoon H.J. et al. Characteristics of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in Korean women attending a community gynecology clinic. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 2018. DOI 10.1080/01443615.2017.1389866.
• Te Linde's Operative Gynecology (textbook), chapters on posterior colporrhaphy and perineorrhaphy.
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), guidance on pelvic organ prolapse and female genital cosmetic surgery.

Next step

A consultation first. A decision only when you are ready.

Tell us what you are experiencing and what you hope to change. Dr. Yoon examines, measures and explains the options, including when no surgery is the right answer. International patients can start with an online consultation before travelling to Seoul.