Why Women May Consider Labiaplasty After Childbirth
Having kids changes a lot of things about your body – your breasts, your belly, your hips, etc. A lot of women don’t really consider that having kids also changes your genitalia, especially your labia. Pregnancy and childbirth cause your labia to stretch, which can be very uncomfortable and a major source of insecurity. Labiaplasty is a cosmetic procedure that can reshape your labia so that they look and feel normal.
The Labial Tissue
Your labia come in two sets of tissue that form the exterior of the genitalia – the labia major and the labia minor. The labia major is larger and more external than the labia minor, but both are important in enhancing your sexual pleasure and keeping your vagina protected.
Your labial tissues should be uniform in size and shape without causing any discomfort or pain. However, when your labia are overly large or asymmetrical, they may cause serious problems.
How Childbirth Affects Your Labia
When it’s time for your child to be born (and if you have your child vaginally), the labia have to stretch as your baby moves through the birthing canal. Sometimes the labia can resume their normal appearance and function, but other times the stretching distorts the labia’s shape and size. This can happen to women who only have one child, but it becomes especially common among women who have more than one pregnancy or pregnancies close together.
Over time, if the labia don’t heal properly, they can become very uncomfortable and sometimes even painful. Aging reduces the amount of elastin fiber in your body, which is important in keeping your soft tissue firm and stable. Less elastin may cause your labial tissues to relax and stretch even more.
Stretched labia can affect your ability to exercise, engage in sexual intercourse, and wear certain types of clothing. For women with severely stretched labia, even the most basic clothing can cause significant pain.
The Labiaplasty Procedure
As far as cosmetic procedures go, labiaplasty is pretty straightforward. It involves removing the extra tissue from the labia and then reshaping the remaining tissue. The procedure takes one to two hours and is performed under general anesthesia.
Labiaplasty is generally used on only the labia major tissue set, but it can also be performed on the labia minor tissues. The size and shape of the labia are improved so they are more aesthetically pleasing and better functioning. After the excess tissue is removed and the reshaping is complete, dissolvable stitches are used to close the incisions and keep the labia stable while they heal.
Labiaplasty is sometimes viewed negatively because it sounds like a genital mutilation procedure or as a way to get a “designer vagina”. This is absolutely not the case. The point of a labiaplasty is to remove the excess labial tissue without changing the function of the labia or causing harm to the patient’s genitalia. While some women do get a labiaplasty because they want their labia to look more appealing, for a lot of patients it has more to do with comfort and self-confidence than designing their genitalia.
The Labiaplasty Recovery
It generally takes one to two weeks for you to feel like your normal self following the procedure. Most patients are able to resume normal activities after the first couple of days, but anything more strenuous will have to wait at least two weeks. It’s recommended that you avoid sexual intercourse for four to six weeks to give your labia time to completely heal and get back to their normal function. Swelling, pain, and redness around the labia are normal during the recovery period and can be managed with cold compresses and pain medication.
The Labiaplasty Consultation
If you have large or oddly shaped labial tissues that cause you pain, discomfort or embarrassment, consider scheduling a labiaplasty patient consultation at Spalding Drive Plastic Surgery. This appointment will allow you to learn more about the labiaplasty procedure, discuss your personal needs and goals with the surgeon, and address any concerns you may have about the procedure. You can schedule a labiaplasty consultation by contacting Spalding Drive Plastic Surgery at (310) 275-2467.