Labia Minora Plasty is a type of genital aesthetic surgery designed to reshape the inner/thinner lips of the vulva. Redundant or excessive tissue in the labia minora can cause discomfort. Labia Plasty reduces the length of the labia minora. Women often perceive an ideal labia minora as light in colour, thin, straight, and symmetrical.

What Causes Elongated Labia?

Thirty per cent of women have enlarged labia minor. Genetics plays the largest factor in this physical abnormality. Estrogen can stimulate the labia minora to continue growing, so pregnancy and hormonal imbalances may increase labial tissue. Other causes include ageing, weight loss and injury.

Why do patients want labiaplasty?

Pain, itching, irritation or discomfort due to the size of the labia minora

Asymmetrical labia

Hyperpigmented labia

Thickened labia

Feeling of embarrassment during intercourse

Unhappiness due to the enlarged appearance of their labia

Anaesthesia for a labiaplasty

Labiaplasty is a procedure that can be done under either local anaesthesia with oral sedation or general anaesthesia.

Duration of labiaplasty surgery

40 minutes

Labiaplasty procedure

Technique

There are two primary ways to reduce the labia minora: the wedge excision or the trim technique.

Trim technique: Labia minora can be corrected by excising or trimming the excess areas with a knife, scissors, or a laser, and sewing for closure. It is imperative to leave a 1cm cuff of labia minora to retain. This technique is best for marked redundancies, excessive thicknesses, and where the patient is accepting of a potential change in the colour of the labia minora edge. The advantages of this technique are the short operative time and the creation of light-coloured labial edges. The disadvantages are more numerous and include the placement of a longitudinal scar line along the labial edge. This can result in a higher incidence of discomfort. Additional disadvantages are a relatively high incidence of asymmetry and over-resection– which is very difficult or even impossible to correct. It can be difficult to maintain the normal transition between the frenulum of the clitoris. 

The wedge procedure: The wedge technique preserves the natural edge of the labia, resecting only a wedge or ‘V’ of the most protuberant labia minora, preserving the natural labial edge. The only disadvantages are a longer operative time and the occasional persistence of darker labial edge pigment.

Duration of hospitalization

The patient is discharged after 4-6 hours of postoperative follow-up.

Complications

The majority of patients heal extremely well. The most common complications are a slight separation of the labial edge closure or a small fistula, occurring 1% of cases. These can be repaired under local anaesthesia 4-6 months after surgery. Healing problems are more likely to occur with a wedge procedure.

Recovering from a labiaplasty

Post-operative restrictions include no vaginal penetration for 6 weeks, avoidance of any pressures on the suture lines, and refraining from any activities that could lead to tension on the incisions. Patients must be aware, and tolerant, of the significant swelling that can follow as it may take weeks to resolve. Post-surgical swelling and soreness are common for the first days and are typically easily controlled with ice and cold compresses. After seven days, most patients are able to return to normal activities.