Labioplasty
What is a Labiaplasty or Labiaplasty?
Labia Reduction Surgery (called Labiaplasty or Labiaplasty) refers to a cosmetic genital procedure designed to change the appearance of the labia minora. Women requesting this procedure have usually developed a ‘longer’ labia which may protrude beyond the outer labia of the vagina. This can be a source of embarrassment for some women and also extremely uncomfortable – when the labia rubs against underwear while walking or exercising.
What are the Benefits of Labiaplasty?
There are many reasons why women might opt for Labia Reduction Surgery and this will always vary among patients. Women can often be self-conscious about the appearance of their genitals, particularly as they get older and the labia may become stretched and saggy. Labiaplasty can help with:
The Labiaplasty Procedure
A Labia Reduction procedure should always be performed by a Plastic Surgeon at either an accredited out-patient surgery center or a Hospital.
Your surgeon will usually perform your surgery using general anesthetic, but a local anesthetic can also be an option.
The exact procedure will of course depend on your individual characteristics and requirements, and will take 45 to 90 minutes.
There are TWO main surgical techniques that can be used in Labiaplasty surgery, the edge resection (trim method) and the wedge resection method.
The Trim method is sometimes referred to as the strip method. This is the most commonly used method for reducing the length of the labia.
The doctor will remove excess labial skin along the length (edge) of the labia minora.
This method is less likely to cause complications and a good choice for patients looking to remove any darker, longer edges of the labia.
The Wedge Method removes a wedge-shaped portion of the unwanted labium which reduces the bulk of the labia minora.
The wedge of labial tissue is removed without affecting any functioning areas of the vagina
This method can also help to reduce any excess tissue in those areas as well.
Labiaplasty surgery can be performed under local anesthetic with sedation, however in some cases it is preferred that the patient is put under a general anesthetic. Dissolvable stitches are used in the process of this procedure, which can result in discomfort for a few days as the stitches take around 7-10 days to dissolve.
How is the recovery after the surgery?
You will experience some discomfort for several days after the operation and there will be swelling for some weeks.
The vaginal area heals very quickly, meaning recovery for a Labiaplasty procedure is relatively minimal. Patients will experience some pain and discomfort for around 10 days but should improve after this point. Strenuous activities should be avoided for around 4 weeks, and sexual intercourse for 6 weeks. Pain medication is recommended to reduce any discomfort.
We would recommend that you apply antibiotic ointment frequently and – unsurprisingly – avoid sexual intercourse for up to six weeks. In the first four weeks wearing tight underwear and jeans is not helpful. Early rest is important as it will mean that you will soon feel comfortable and back to normal.
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