Vaginal Cosmetic Surgery – more common than you think!

Posted in: Blog, Plastic surgery and Pregnancy, Vaginal Plastic Surgery | October 29, 2012 | Comments Off

I recently visited my Ob-Gyn who had referred several of her patients to me for vaginal cosmetic surgery.  She was amazed at how quickly the patients had healed after surgery and how dramatic the difference was for them.  They were very thankful that she had made the suggestion they have the procedure done.   A “labiaplasty” involves trimming some of the excessive labia that shows or hangs.  Although it is considered to be vaginal cosmetic surgery, I would argue that in many cases the procedure is more than that – it really improves women’s quality of life.

Now, every woman’s anatomy is variable but in general, most women do not like having their labia minora protrude and hang.  This can become more noticeable after pregnancy.  Sometimes, women are born with significant asymmetry between labia – one is much larger than the other.   Most of my patients feel self-conscious because there is a bulge in clothing and they cannot wear leggings, workout clothes.  One of my patients even had pain when wearing jeans because of the excess tissue.  Many patients complain of discomfort during common activities like exercising or riding a bike.  Women also feeling self-conscious during intimacy and seek surgery for that reason.  Many women don’t know that there is a surgical procedure that can help them – even some of my medical colleagues don’t know that this is done.

However, this procedure is more common than you think.  The first vaginal cosmetic surgery was performed in 1984 and in the last 10 years it has doubled.  I know it sounds like a painful surgery, but my patients are usually pleasantly surprised at how quickly they recover. I recently authored a book chapter in the “International Textbook on Aesthetic Surgery” on “Female Vaginal Cosmetic Surgery” which describes in detail the steps of different techniques.  In general, the excess labia is carefully trimmed and shaped.  The surgery takes about 2 hours.  The suture line is hidden along the inner edge of the labia.  All sutures are dissolvable so they don’t need to be removed after surgery.  Most of the swelling goes down in just a few weeks and patients can return to normal activities within a month or so.  These are some of my happiest patients who wish they had had the surgery done years ago!

- Dr. Catherine Begovic

Vaginal Cosmetic Surgery – Labiaplasty

Posted in: Plastic surgery and Pregnancy, Vaginal Plastic Surgery | October 20, 2011 | Comments Off

Last week I saw a few of my patients who recently had labiaplasty.  They really felt so much better after having had their surgery and were thankful their OB-Gyn had made the suggestion they have the procedure done.   A “labiaplasty” involves trimming some of the excessive labia that shows or hangs.  Although it is considered to be vaginal cosmetic surgery, I would argue that in many cases the procedure is more than that – it really improves women’s quality of life.  Now, every woman’s anatomy is variable but in general, most women do not like having their labia minora protrude and hang.  This can become more noticeable after pregnancy.  Sometimes, women are born with significant asymmetry between labia – one is much larger than the other.   Most of my patients cannot wear leggings, workout clothes, or even have pain when wearing jeans.  They complain of discomfort during common activities like exercising or riding a bike.  In many cases, the main complaint is women feeling self-conscious during intimacy.

I know it sounds like a painful surgery, but my patients are usually pleasantly surprised at how quickly they recover. I recently authored a book chapter in the“International Textbook on Aesthetic Surgery” on “Female Vaginal Cosmetic Surgery” which describes in detail the steps of different techniques.  In general, the excess labia is carefully trimmed and shaped.  The surgery takes about 2 hours.  The suture line is hidden along the inner edge of the labia.  All sutures are dissolvable so they don’t need to be removed after surgery.  Most of the swelling goes down in just a few weeks and patients can return to normal activities within a month or so.  For more details please go to the Procedure Section of my website http://www.makeyouperfect.com/procedures/labiaplasty/

Dr. Catherine Begovic M.D.