Labiaplasty?

[AsCuteAsByeBye]

Hi everyone,

I am hopelessly posting here for traffic. Apologies I know it's annoying. I have started a few threads about this before under chat and health but got barely any replies so I'm shooting my shot here to see if I can get any feedback. NC for obvious reasons but I've been here a while and post frequently.

I am looking to get a labiaplasty in the near future and wondered if anyone has had one, or any experiences please?

I've always been incredibly conscious of my labia. It's mostly for medical reasons, as I get a lot of pain wearing most everyday clothes, when I exercise, have sex etc. I've been prescribed topical creams for this but it doesn't help when the blood circulation is lost when they get caught and it can be extremely painful. They aren't too 'long' - probably about a centimetre outside of my labia majora, but they still get caught an awful lot.

There is also a small part of me that wants to do it cosmetically. I know it's 'normal' but I am now 30 years old and have felt like this for 18 years.

Has anyone had the surgery? How was the recovery and are you glad you did it? Any regrets?

I'm aware that menopause can shrink them but this doesn't worry me. I don't want to waste the next potentially 15 years or more just to finally have smaller labia at menopause age - I would like to reap the benefits of doing this when I'm young(ish) so the recovery may be a bit easier at this age. I also don't want to be having miserable sex now for many years to come.

TIA all, any advice welcome.

Idk but I have a too-short perineum due to post-delivery complications. I was wondering the cost to have it fixed but there’s a lot of judgement over ‘designer vagina’ surgery, that’s put me off. But I do think it would improve my life.

@FreshLaundry

I agree with the judgement. On the couple of threads I did attempt before I got snarky comments at most anyway. It's sad really, as being comfortable and confident is huge, it makes such a difference. Certainly no judgement here! I've got my consultation very soon which I'm looking forward to.

I think your life would be improved by having the procedure.

No experience but I would say get it done.

I agree @SallyForf - I think it'll improve things greatly, I just don't know anyone IRL who's had it done so would be interested to read others experiences :)

I had one! Best thing I ever did!
It was done under local and the recovery was fine from what I remember.
I was able to take time off work and rest in bed for however long I needed. I was 18/19 at the time.

Mine were very long before and I was unable to ride a bike or just feel comfortable. Mine used to feel like they were knotted when dry.
It honestly changed my life!

@spinkledoughnut ah thank you for sharing!!
So glad it all went well for you and it changed everything for the better. How long was it until you resumed sex? And did you have any decreased sensation?

I'm going to the land of nod for mine. I have a huge phobia of theatres. Some years ago I went into one for a routine surgery and ended up in a coma as it went a bit tits up (totally unrelated and fully recovered so all fine for this surgery) - the nuffied who I'm going to, do or under local or general. So opting for general. I know I'm probably being a wuss!!

It'll sting a bit. Both physically and the price!

It's 4-5k with the sedation. It's a few hundred cheaper without.

For me personally though it's a huge investment so totally worth doing! And yes it probably will sting after, not looking forward to that bit

@AsCuteAsByeBye I had had people in my life saying it wasn't necessary and blah blah but I did it for me and I hadn't realised how much I needed it until after it was done!
Ummmm I resumed sex after 6 years 😂
But that was personal circumstance for sure and nothing to do with surgery.
I would say it wouldn't take long to get back to it once you're feeling comfortable. Maybe 6/8 weeks?
And no decreased sensation at all!
I had a few "scars" from the stitches as they were a smidge too tight but they soon settled and my current partner has assured me you can't tell.
I had it under local because that was just what was offered at my preferred clinic so no judgement here at taking a nap for it!

I hope it goes well for you and you get the results you're after ❤️

I had one earlier this year, paid £3.5k at a local private hospital. Really happy with the results (I had to go back a few months later for revision surgery as it wasn't quite symmetrical) but have definitely noticed dryness since I had it done. They did warn me that's a possible side effect, but I feel so much more confident now. Forget other people's judgements, you get one life and if you can afford it and it'll make you more confident go for it. But I'd definitely say get it done in UK, don't risk Turkey or anywhere.

Hi OP,

I'm in my mid thirties now and had one when I was about 22 years old. It's the only 'cosmetic' procedure I've ever had. Personally I don't regret it at all as it gave me the confidence to actually be intimidate (I'd not had sex before then as I felt so self-conscious about myself). I would say the only potential negative is that I do have reduced sensation on and immediately around my labia, which can be a common side effect, so I guess you could argue that decreases my enjoyment of sex. But then my counter is that I don't think I'd have had sex at all if it wasn't for the surgery!

Recovery was quite painful for the first few days but felt near to 100% after a week. I think you know yourself best and whether it's the right choice for you, be led by that x

I did OP. It's better - but the cut is not neat, I think the surgeon was just a surgeon and not specifically focussed on labiaplasty. I wish I spent more time choosing a surgeon.

Having said that yes it looks much better and it has really improved my life. I'm not conscious anymore and the main thing is I LIKE how I look down there; whereas before I really didn't.

I got a bank loan to fund it; that was 15 years ago and it is still one of the best things I've done for myself in my whole life. Bank loan has been paid off a long time ago, and I have a whole life ahead of liking how I look.

(Just to add I had a general anaesthetic as it wasn't an option to have local at the time. No regrets about that either except when I came too I was emphatically telling the theatre staff how much I loved Jeremy Kyle... A clear sign that I was not of sound mind at the time as I loathe the man in real life 😂).

And now noticing all my autocorrect typos - "intimate" and "to". Apologies!

Ah thank you everyone so much, I really appreciate you sharing your experiences!

I'm definitely not going abroad. The surgeon I am seeing is a gynaecologist who specialises in vulval repair and reconstruction after childbirth, I've researched a lot of surgeons and I'm eager to stay away from a generic 'plastic surgeon' and would rather go for someone who specialises in women's anatomy for sure.

I'm glad everyone that's had it hasn't looked back since! Does anyone remember how long they were swollen for, and how long it was until they saw their final results? Thank you all so much!

I was swollen for about 3.5 weeks I think - it does look horrific in the first week but the pain was definitely manageable. Big advocate of the frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel approach.

I was very diligent with following the recovery advice to the letter as couldn't bear the thought of getting an infection down there. I didn't half miss my bubble baths though!

I've just had my appointment through for the 6th December. Cannot wait! The surgeon I'm seeing is a gynaecologist rather than a plastic surgeon so I have high hopes!

Its good to see those that responded had a positive outcome.

Not to attack or dissuade but provide a different view.

There's a woman on tiktok called "Jessica Pin" who basically had it done in the US and her description of it was she had a FGM performed by a untrained surgeon (who just wanted to learn how to do it) .

She now actively is attacking the various US medical bodies who promote it to women and pushing education for those that carry it out. (e.g. its legal for a Obyn to carry out labiaplasty with no knowledge of the clitoris anatomy and the consequences of incorrectly carrying it out).

I got it done at 25, and it was worth every penny. I was so insecure - I had it done with a very good surgeon under topical anaesthetic and the swelling went down within a couple of weeks. I went with trim technique.

Oh, also no bad side effects, no loss of sensation thankfully :) Frozen peas help, definitely!

I had it a long time ago. Be aware that labia are made from erectile tissue and recovery is not as straightforward as you may imagine. Firstly, it’s kind of hard to keep the stitches clean & dry. I managed to get a staph infection and needed both antibiotic treatment and daily wound cleaning: yuck. The soluble stitches did not live up to their name and needed removal. Also, while totally aligned most of the time, after sex, things feel a bit…. Unusual. A little sore, maybe. Not excruciating, just noticeable. Apart from that, I don’t regret it. I cam comfortably wear jeans and leggings now.

Btw, consider having a personal, handheld bidet bottle with a nozzle for cleaning with saline. It is soothing and antiseptic when you go to the bathroom.

I had an episitomy 2 1/2 years ago and the scar itches loads sometimes. My stitches also came undone so some of it didn't heal properly. This isn't the itchy bit though.

My expert midwife also make a soothing spray for down there which I liked.

Hi everyone, I had my appointment today and there was a cancellation so I've got surgery booked (with general) next Thursday!

Was very impressed with the Nuffield. Had my pre assessment today too.

Will report back to say how it went! I'm having the trim method, not the wedge method.