Scrotoplasty is plastic surgery on the male scrotum. It may be used to repair a damaged or defective scrotum, and is also commonly performed as a way to create a scrotum as a part of gender reassignment surgery. It is used in combination with other therapies and surgeries in order to allow a person who was born a female to become a male.
Boys who are born with scrotums that are incomplete or defective in some way may undergo scrotoplasty in order to correct the problem. The procedure is also used to repair scrotal damage resulting from injury or disease. Most of the time such surgeries are more cosmetic than for functional purposes.
When a trans-gender individual makes the decision to complete the transition from female to male, various steps are involved. The specifics of each may vary somewhat, based on both the patient’s and the doctor’s personal preferences, but the general sequence of steps involved remains essentially the same. Prior to any surgery, the patient must have a complete psychological evaluation, followed by an ongoing course of hormones. At that point the surgical candidate is asked to live as a man for a set period of time before undergoing any surgery.
Once the patient and the doctor are in agreement that gender reassignment surgery is in the patient’s best interest, there are a number of other procedures that may be used to complete the transformation from female to male. These typically include a complete mastectomy to remove the breasts, phalloplasty or other procedure to create a penis, and scrotoplasty to create a scrotum.
The scrotoplasty commonly has two main parts. The first stage is the insertion of a prosthetic testicle implant into each of the labia majora in order to create a more natural appearance in the finished scrotum. After that, the two sides of the labia are joined into a single unit to create the scrotal sack. These procedures may be performed in a single operation or as two separate surgeries, depending on the surgeon’s preferences. In some cases tissue from the patient’s own body may be used to simulate testicles.
As with any surgery there are risks involved with scrotoplasty. Typically the risks for this procedure are relatively small. The main concerns include an adverse reaction to the anesthetic or excessive bleeding. In rare cases, the implants may be extruded from the body. There is also the possibility that the patient will be unhappy with the results of the procedure.