When are your labia ‘abnormal’?
Although it is not often talked about, the labia correction is a frequently performed plastic surgery procedure in the Netherlands. When can you consider a labia correction? And how does the surgery work?
This usually involves a reduction of the labia minora, the small – or inner – labia. In some cases, the inner labia can be so enlarged that the woman is greatly inconvenienced. Both young and elderly women face these problems. In these cases, a labia correction offers a relatively simple and elegant solution.
The labia
The labia majora – the outer or labia majora – protect the pubic cleft. They are covered with pubic hair and consist of skin tissue with underlying fatty tissue and sebaceous glands.
The inner or labia minora are made of mucosal tissue and they protect the clitoris, the exit of the urethra and the vaginal opening. The inner labia are part of the woman’s erogenous zone and they swell greatly during sexual arousal; this has a stimulating effect during sexual intercourse.
In young girls, only the outer labia are visible; the inner labia are still minuscule. During puberty, the whole body, and therefore also the inner labia, suddenly gets a huge growth spurt and they seem to grow out of proportion. It is normal for the labia minora to eventually show slightly outside the labia majora.
All sizes and shapes
Labia come in all shapes and sizes. They can be big, small, fat, thin, long, dark, pink, smooth, ‘messy’, asymmetrical or distorted… Labia are not directly a subject for comparison and it is therefore difficult to judge what ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’. The name labia minora is also confusing, because in many women the labia minora are larger than the labia majora. They are often visible on the outside of the vulva. This is normal.
But how do you know when your labia are abnormal? Here are a couple of remarks. Firstly, your own satisfaction with your body – and therefore also with your labia – is the best starting point. Second, most of the photos in magazines are Photoshopped. Don’t be insecure about custom vulvas that look like a teenage girl.
Shame and pain
However, you may have reason to doubt your labia. You are ashamed of their shape and size while swimming/showering/sauna. You experience pain when cycling or when you exercise and when you wear tight clothing. You are sexually inhibited when you have sex with your partner. Whether your labia have changed due to pregnancy and childbirth.
In such a case you can be informed without obligation about the possibilities of a possible labia correction. An initial consultation is sometimes free. Of course you have to overcome your embarrassment for this, but Arthur Ludlage, physician and director of MediConsult (clinical for aesthetic plastic surgery), reassuringly remarks: “In my practice all requests for labia correction have been very justified so far.”
The operation
Rarely are corrections made to the labia majora. Skin tissue heals less quickly and beautifully than mucosal tissue. The amount of subcutaneous fat tissue partly determines the size of the outer labia. Possibly, liposuction of the outer labia and/or the venus mound can offer a solution. Labia corrections to the labia minora do take place regularly. The procedure is performed during a day treatment, under local anesthesia (possibly with a sedative). The plastic surgeon removes the excess tissue and the wounds are closed with small dissolvable stitches.
There is a small risk of swelling and bleeding after the procedure. You must therefore rest for a while and you will be given an ice pack on the wound area. You can go home after a few hours. The pain after the procedure is not too bad and can be treated well with 500 mg paracetamol. You can shower or bathe as usual the next day and the stitches will dissolve on their own after 8-10 days.
The labia minora usually heal quickly and without scarring. After some time, nothing can be seen or felt from the procedure. You can compare it to a wound/suture in your mouth. A labia correction is a relatively minor procedure with a beautiful and lasting result.
Cosmetic or plastic?
A labia correction is performed by a plastic surgeon; both in plastic surgery clinics and in a general hospital. It is important to choose a doctor that you feel comfortable with. In some cases, you can determine the size of the correction together with him. Because your labia are functional, an overcorrection (removing too much) is not desirable.
Be well informed in advance about the costs and reimbursements of the procedure. In principle, the Healthcare Act does not reimburse cosmetic surgery; in some cases, plastic surgery on medical indication takes place in a general hospital. Ask your practitioner and your health insurer what the rules are for your situation. The costs of a labia correction are between 1000-1600 euros.
