A labiaplasty is surgery to reduce the size of the labia minora – the flaps of skin either side of the vaginal opening.
It should not be done on girls younger than 18 because the labia continues to develop beyond puberty into early adulthood.
Some women want a labiaplasty because they do not like the look of their labia. But it’s completely normal to have noticeable skin folds around the opening of your vagina. In most cases, it does not cause any problems, which is why labiaplasty is rarely available on the NHS.
The term labiaplasty refers to a procedure that reduces the length of the labia minora. It is the most commonly performed vaginal rejuvenation procedure and it can relieve symptoms women experience from twisting and tugging of the labia.
Reasons patients want a labiaplasty
Women opt for surgery for a variety of reasons, including pain from twisting and tugging of the labia when riding a bike or during intercourse, itching, irritation and self-consciousness.
What does a labiaplasty do?
The goal of the procedure is to reduce the labia minora so that they don’t hang below the hair-bearing labia majora. A labiaplasty may be performed to reduce asymmetry when one is longer than the other, or, more commonly, to reduce the length of both labia so that the labia no longer twist, tug or fall out of a bathing suit.
