While looking great for the public is a great goal, perhaps you also want to look and feel your best in more intimate settings. If you’re frustrated by excess or lax vaginal tissue in your labia minora, a labiaplasty is the perfect solution for redefining and rejuvenating your vagina.
At Cosmetic Surgery Center, Drs. Trent Fogleman and Paul Benien Jr., are board-certified surgeons who provide a wide range of procedures that help both men and women feel better about their bodies. When it comes to the fairer sex, women go through significant changes in their lives that can take a physical toll, including in the vaginal region.
Here’s a look at why more women are choosing to have a labiaplasty.
To better understand what we’re referring to when we discuss a labiaplasty, it’s useful to take a quick look at the structures of your external genitalia. Your vaginal opening is surrounded by two strips of tissue called your labia minora, which help protect your vaginal opening, keeping bacteria and other foreign invaders from making their way inside.
Your labia minora should not be confused with your labia majora, which are the hair-bearing areas of skin on the outside of your vagina.
The biggest problem that can develop in your labia minora is lax, or loose, tissue that hangs below your labia majora. Many women find the effect to be both unsightly and uncomfortable, as this skin can tug or twist, even during intercourse. Complicating matters, the lax tissue may not be even, with one side longer than the other.
There are several reasons why this problem may develop, with childbirth leading the charge. To deliver your baby (or babies), the tissue around your vagina stretches considerably and may not bounce back to its original shape, especially if you’ve delivered more than one child.
As well, as you get older, your skin naturally loses its structural support, and your tissue can sag.
Another possibility is that you were simply born with redundant tissue or asymmetry in your labia minora.
A labiaplasty is a fairly simple procedure in which we shorten the length of your labia minora. In fact, the technique is so effective that it’s among the fastest-growing cosmetic surgical procedures in the United States, increasing by a whopping 53% between 2013 and 2018.
During your labiaplasty, which we perform on an outpatient basis, we first ensure your comfort with general anesthesia or intravenous sedation. Once you’re ready, we remove the excess tissue, ensuring that we tighten and establish symmetry at the same time. We use very fine sutures because of the sensitive skin in the area and to minimize scarring.
After your labiaplasty, we send you home with complete aftercare instructions. You should plan on taking it easy for a few days as your tissue heals, and you should avoid strenuous activities and intercourse for 2-3 weeks.
As your tissue heals, your newly contoured labia minora gradually reveals itself, giving you renewed confidence, whether you’re naked or not.
To explore whether a labiaplasty is right for you, please contact our office in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to set up a consultation.
