My wrist gets terribly stiff, and the dilator digs deep ridges into my fingers and they all go numb. About a year ago, Susan was offered the option of surgery when it appeared that she was tiring of the pressure technique, but she again rejected the idea. Intercourse is possible about two or three weeks after surgery, but it takes the better part of a year of applying dilators before intercourse can be attempted. The surgical procedure involves two stages. The tip of the existing vaginal 'dimple' is incised, and the tissue is spread, usually simply with the surgeon's fingers.
Little cutting is required because the tissue is all so soft.
When the required vaginal depth is reached, a mould is inserted, and the labia are stitched together to hold the mould in place. In earlier years the mould would have been covered with a skin graft, taken from the buttock or thigh, but recently a new technique has been introduced. The mould is covered not with skin, but with amnion, the membrane containing the waters surrounding the baby in the womb. Amnion is also at times used in plastic surgery and in the treatment of burns, and it is usually taken from Caesarian section deliveries. The amnion encourages the growth of soft and elastic vaginal skin, and when the mould has been in place for a week, it is removed, covered with a fresh amnion, re-inserted and sewn back in place, to be removed finally after another week.