Labiaplasty is a very personal procedure that can help many women who are experiencing discomfort from having an enlarged labia. Some women are embarrassed to ask about this procedure, but we are here to tell you that modifying the female anatomy to improve your quality of life is nothing to be ashamed about! Since this procedure is gaining popularity as of late, our internationally board-certified San Francisco Plastic Surgeon, Dr. Karen Horton, will be addressing some of the top concerns in our current blog series on labiaplasty. Throughout this three-part series, we will discuss the benefits, cost, and recovery of the procedure. This blog post will focus on how you can determine if you should consider labiaplasty.

Labiaplasty is a surgical treatment, and it is performed as a short outpatient procedure carried out under general anesthesia. Dr. Horton can resolve a number of issues with this procedure, such as reducing the inner lips (labia minora), outer lips (labia majora), or reducing excess skin in the clitoral hood of the vagina.

Labiaplasty can be performed on women of all ages, ethnicities, life stages, and for a variety of different reasons. While there are no age restrictions for patients seeking this treatment option, we recommend patients to be emotionally mature and fully educated on what to expect following labiaplasty.

A labiaplasty procedure (sometimes referred to as “vaginal rejuvenation,” but does not actually address the inner vaginal walls) can benefit women who have excess labial tissue and:

• are experiencing discomfort wearing certain clothing or participating in regular activities

• have functional or aesthetic concerns related to redundant labia tissue

• can restrict travel for at least two weeks after treatment to ensure proper healing

• are able to avoid strenuous activity like exercise and sexual intercouse for at least four to six weeks after the procedure during recovery

• are not pregnant or planning pregnancy within a few months

Now that you know labiaplasty can be a viable option for many different types of women, stay tuned for our upcoming blog posts to learn more! The next blog post in this series will focus on the cost of the labiaplasty procedure and benefits you can expect following surgery.

If you are interested in learning more about labiaplasty, or if you would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Horton, please contact us today.