What is labiaplasty?

Your labia are the folds of skin around your vagina opening. You have two folds of skin. The outer folds are called the labia majora, which means large lips. These folds are the larger fleshy folds that protect your external genital organs and are covered with pubic hair after puberty. The inner folds are called the labia minora, which means small lips. These skin folds protect the opening of your urethra and vagina.

Labiaplasty is a surgical procedure to reduce or increase the size of your labia. The surgery is done to improve the appearance of your labia, to reduce physical discomfort or as part of gender-affirming surgery.

What causes a labia to become oversized?

• Age, Menopause or other hormonal changes can thin the tissue of the labia majora, allowing the labia minora to protrude beyond the labia majora.
• Pregnancy and childbirth.
• Changes in your weight.
• Genetics.

How is Labiaplasty?

Reduction procedures

To reduce your labia (labia minora and/or labia majora), there are two general approaches:

• 
  Trim procedure. With this approach, your surgeon removes excess tissue from the outer edge of one or both sides of your labia minora so that it’s even with or receded from the edges of your labia majora.
• Wedge procedure. With this approach, your surgeon removes a wedge or pie-shaped piece of tissue from the inner areas of one or both sides of your labia minora. They leave the submucosa intact so that when the labia is stitched (sutured), the wrinkled edge of the labia remains intact. This retains a more natural look for the labia minora. Similarly, an inner portion of each labium of your labia majora can also be removed if you’re having surgery to reduce the labia majora.
  Your surgeon may have other preferred approaches depending on their surgical expertise or your desired result.

You and your surgeon will work together to choose the surgical approach that will best meet your goals and concerns.

• Enlarging procedure
  To enlarge your labia majora, your surgeon takes a small amount of fat from another body area, such as your abdomen or thigh (in a liposuction procedure) and injects it into your labia majora. Injecting hyaluronic acid into your labia majora is an alternative option.

Is the recovery painful?

You will have some swelling, discomfort and pain, but it’s usually easy to manage with over-the-counter medication, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®), or a limited prescription medication. If your discomfort is not well controlled with the recommended medications, be sure to contact your surgeon. Home remedies, such as a cold compress or icepack, are 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 be given an oral antibiotic prescription or topical antibiotic to apply to your surgical wound to prevent infection.

Wear loose-fitting pants and undergarments during the healing period. Tight-fitting clothes or undergarments can cause friction against the wound and prevent or delay healing.

When can I return to work, physical activity and sexual activity?

You should be able to return to work and other light activities after a few days. If your job involves physical activity or lifting, you may need to stay home longer. You should avoid the following for four to six weeks or until cleared by your surgeon:

• Strenuous exercise.
• Physical activities such as cycling, running and swimming.
• Sexual intimacy.

Returning to these activities too soon can put pressure on the wound, tear stitches and delay healing.

How long do the results of labiaplasty last?

Labiaplasty performed as a reduction surgery is meant to be a one-time, long-lasting procedure. Unless complications develop, you may never need this surgery again. Enhancement labiaplasty with injections of fat or fillers may need additional “touch-ups” over time.

You should know that if you choose to have children after your procedure, your labiaplasty may be affected. Many people choose to wait to have their labiaplasty until after they’ve completed their families.