Whether it’s due to hormonal changes, aging, or childbearing, your vaginal tissue can change, which may cause various symptoms and affect intimacy. Labia elongation, widening, or enlargement is a common problem that can cause discomfort with exercise, wearing clothing, and intimacy. John Scaffidi, MD, FABOM, FACOG at Lehigh Valley Weight Loss, with offices in Allentown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, offers surgical and noninvasive vaginal tightening and labia reduction. Call the office or request an appointment online today.
Labia reduction or labiaplasty is a minor procedure that reduces the size of your labia minora. The labia are the skin folds in your vulva, around the vaginal opening. There are two kinds:
Labia majora means large lips. These skin folds protect your external genitalia.
The labia minora (small lips) are the inner folds that protect the opening of your vagina and urethra (where urine leaves your body).
At Lehigh Valley Weight Loss, Dr. Scaffidi performs surgical labiaplasty, which recontours and reshapes the labia minora to improve their size, shape, symmetry, and function. He might remove tissue from your labia to reduce the size, inject a filler or fat into your labia to enlarge it, or reconstruct your labia using other tissue.
Labia reduction is an outpatient procedure. You need a few weeks of recovery after your surgery, but with only minimal activity restrictions.
There are several reasons why labia reduction might be necessary:
If the labia are too big, they can twist or get pinched, causing physical discomfort. Irritation is likely during physical activities like running and bike riding, and large labia can make sex uncomfortable. Excessive labial tissue can also be hard to keep clean, making you more likely to develop problems like urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Childbirth and aging can stretch the labia, making them sag or droop. Some women have labia that are an uneven shape or find they can’t wear tight-fitting clothing because they can see the shape of the labia under the fabric. Women sometimes want to feel more confident about the appearance of their genitalia during sexual activity.
If you don’t feel happy with the way your labia look, Dr. Scaffidi can alter their shape to make them even and more youthful. Labia reduction can also be part of the gender-affirming process for people undergoing a sexual identity transition.
Dr. Scaffidi determines if you’re a good candidate for labia reduction after reviewing your medical history, uncovering your problems, and performing a physical examination.
Dr. Scaffidi performs labia reduction using light anesthesia, so you feel little or no discomfort during the procedure.
You might have some mild pain after labia reduction. Soreness and tenderness in the labia are also likely, and you may feel minor discomfort when urinating. These side effects should go away within 6-8 weeks of your labia reduction procedure.
To learn more about labia reduction and how it can help you, call Lehigh Valley Weight Loss today or schedule an appointment using the online booking tool.