What is a labiaplasty?
Women may have an inherited or acquired excess amount of skin in the vaginal area(labia). This can be a source of embarrassment or irritation and many women will choose to have the excess tissue removed.
Labiaplasty is a surgical procedure to reduce or increase the size of your labia. People usually get this procedure to reduce physical discomfort. Sometimes, you might want it for cosmetic reasons, but there’s a wide range of normal labia. Everyone’s labia are unique and there’s no ideal or “normal” way for them to look.
Labiaplasty Technique
In this procedure, Dr. Rammos removes extra skin of the labia from the vagina. Skin from the outer labia (majora) and inner labia (minora) can be removed as desired. The scars are concealed in this area, and this results in a more youthful appearance of the labia and vagina. Absorbable sutures are used so that no stitches need to be removed later.
Recovering from a Labiaplasty
Labiaplasty is an outpatient procedure. You’ll have some swelling, discomfort and pain, but it’s usually easy to manage with over-the-counter (OTC) medication — like acetaminophen (Tylenol®). A cold compress or icepack maybe helpful, too. Apply an ice pack to the operative area (on top of a cloth undergarment) on a 20-minutes-on/20-minutes-off schedule to reduce pain and swelling. Most people report only mild pain or tenderness for a few days.
You may have some bleeding for up to a week or so. You can wear a pad to absorb this minor bleeding. You will want to use lukewarm water only (no soap) to wash your wound. Gently wipe or dab the area dry after peeing; don’t rub the surgical area.
