More and more women are interested in labial surgery. Many women after pregnancy feel that their labia have been stretched out significantly, resulting in an aesthetically unappealing look. While not a medical problem, this can to lead to a feeling of self-consciousness, especially during sexual intimacy. Because of this, labiaplasties are becoming more common.
A labiaplasty is designed to remove excess labia minora and contour the labia to sit nicely within the confines of the labia majora. This can be done in two different ways. The first is called the trim technique, where the edges are removed. This creates a scar that runs the length of each labia. The scar can be longer, but the contour is often better. The second technique, the wedge technique, involves removing wedges of tissue out of each labia. This creates a scar that runs from front to back, not along the edge of the labia. This can limit the scar, but can also limit the contouring as well.
In addition, some women opt to have the skin around the clitoris removed as well, called a clitoral hood reduction. This removes excess skin around the clitoris, thereby exposing more of the clitoris.
Labiaplasty can be done under twilight sedation or general anesthesia, depending on the patient's health and choice. There can be alot of swelling afterwards, so elevation and ice packs are extremely important for the first 48 hours. All the sutures are disolvable, and usually fall out after a week or two. No sexual intimacy involving the area for at least a month. It can take 1-2 months for all the swelling and contour changes to fully get to where they are supposed to be.
The risks include bleeding, infection, overagressive scarring or keloiding, nerve sensation changes, and prolonged swelling and/or pain. Know that the complication rates are very low with this procedure, as long as you follow the post-operative instructions.
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