Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Usha Rajagopal specializes in many cosmetic procedures including the face, breast, and body. Being well-known for her Mommy Makeovers, Dr. Rajagopal has also pioneered female rejuvenation procedures including FemiLift, O-Shots, and Labiaplasty. Dr. Rajagopal sat down with Haute Beauty to discuss the transformative Labiaplasty procedure, who qualifies for the surgery, and when patients can expect to see final results.
What is labiaplasty?
A labiaplasty is a surgery that improves the appearance of the labia minora or the labia majora. This can both be done to improve appearance and for the patient with discomfort and chafing from the size and bulkiness of the labia tissue.
What is the wedge method v/s the trim method?
These are methods to perform the labiaplasty. A wedge method is when a triangular piece of the labia minora tissue is excised and the edges are brought together. With the wedge method the edges will appear more natural but this method has a high incidence of the sutures not healing well, so it has a higher risk of a fistula that can be hard to treat.
A trim method is when the edge of the labia minora tissue is trimmed throughout its entirety to reduce the length of the labia. The benefit is that if you have any pigmentation along the edges these can be vastly improved or completely removed. The negative of the trim method is if your doctor does not know how to taper the edges of the labia tissue then it could appear more flat, blunt, and give it a more “operated” appearance.
I use a modification of the trim method so that I can greatly improve the entire length of the labia including the lateral clitoral hood all the way down to the vaginal orifice. I also taper the edges so that they look more natural and appears like the patient was born with this naturally. I have named my signature labiaplasty method the “Kurvilinear Incisional Surgical Technique” (KIST).
Who qualifies for this procedure?
Women who:
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Are fully grown and at least 18 years of age
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Have no major medical issues
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Have concerns about either the functions of the labia tissue (length or thickness of the tissue can pinch, tug, or chafe in clothing)
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Have discomfort during intercourse
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Don’t like the appearance of the labia minora tissue
What steps should a patient take prior to surgery?
The most important step is to choose your labiaplasty surgeon well. You really need to choose someone who has done a lot of labia rejuvenation surgery and who are very comfortable with this surgery and not just someone who performed it on a few occasions. The more your surgeon has done this the better your end result will be. The next thing is, you want to be able to communicate with your surgeon exactly what you want and they should be able to communicate very well with you so that you understand what your results will be like.
Prior to surgery, things that you can do to give you a good result are:
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Be well hydrated
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Stop taking blood-thinning products (aspirin, ibuprofen, or fish oil) 10 days prior
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Follow the instructions of the surgeon diligently and call your surgeon’s office for any questions.
What is the downtime for this procedure?
I usually recommend that the patient take a minimum of 3-4 days of bed rest at home with icing. For one week they’re quite swollen and they can return to normal activities in 4 weeks.
How fast can results be seen?
In 2-3 weeks the patient will get an idea of what the results look like. In 4 weeks, the patients are about 85% near the final results. In 6 months, the patient will see the full results where the tissues appear the softest and most natural.
More information about labiaplasty can be found on my website: https://www.sfcosmeticsurgery.com/procedure/labiaplasty
