Labia is mostly gone - what can I do from here?

As the inventor and innovator of the wedge technique in 1994, I reconstruct many women who have had labia reductions by other surgeons, both wedge and trimming techniques​. You had a trimming labiaplasty which resulted in asymmetry and scalloping. The reconstruction is much more difficult than a primary labiaplasty and should be done by a plastic surgeon with extensive experience in labia reconstruction. I published the first and most extensive paper on labia reconstruction in the prestigious journal "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery" about ten years ago. You will need various reconstructive techniques to give you a good appearance. You can have a much better appearance by a very skilled reconstructive labiaplasty surgery. Approximately 40% of the surgeries I perform are revisions of other surgeons' labiaplasties. I may use multiple wedge excisions to reduce your labia, eliminate many of your scallops, and improve symmetry. However, I need to see photos of your entire clitoral hood area to see if you have adequate clitoral hood to reconstruct your labia minora with clitoral hood flaps, which I invented and published in that publication. I have done this surgery about 80 times with excellent results. The surgery takes about 3+ hours so it is not a simple office procedure. If any surgeon reduces more of your clitoral hood, you will be ineligible for this repair. I often use a combination of techniques to reconstruct the labia. You only get one good chance to reconstruct you, so be patient and ask a lot of questions.

Gary J. Alter, M.D.
Beverly Hills, CA - Manhattan, NY

Sorry to hear about your experience. Indeed, you have had too much of your labia removed and the edges are bumpy and uneven. You can't get them back, but what is remaining can be revised to look smoother and more youthful.
Go to the link below to see hundreds of B/A photos of labiaplasty and hood reduction procedures. From that link you may schedule a virtual consult via phone or zoom, at which time we can discuss in-depth your anatomy, expectations, and concerns. Women from all over the world travel to my Center for their Revision Labiaplasty under local anesthesia.
Best of luck,

Thank you for sharing your question and photographs and I am sorry that your current results have not been what you anticipated. I would recommend seeking out labiaplasty specialists to obtain an in-person examination of your tissues to assess their current state of healing and elasticity and to exactly see what tissues remain hypertrophied (lateral prepuce and clitoral frenulum for example) and which are limited (labia minora) for the possibility of revision. Additionally I would write down a rank list of your priorities of improvement so that a thorough discussion of improvement possibilities can be discussed.

The fold that extends from the edge of your left inner lip to the upper part of your clitoris can be removed. and the jagged structures on your inner lips can be combined. Thus, you can reach the ideal image. You can regain your self-confidence.

Dear lip
Sorry for your bad experience. I am not your surgeon.
My advice to you at around 6 months post op is to wait and do nothing now.
Give it a couple more months to settle down.
I have seen worse complications. There is hope for you that this will turn out ok in the end.

Q: What can be done in this case?
A: There is hope for you; however, your next surgeon must know how to do your corrective surgery to make you happy again. Your original surgeon applied the trim labioreduction technique that should not be used in practice at all since it changes the rounded natural look of the labia minora to a straight one. It is esthetically wrong and can also cause sexual dysfunction by creating pain during intimate contact, particularly at the beginning of sexual intercourse (superficial dyspareunia), and persistent pain either at the incision site (neuropathy) or in a remote area from the surgical area (neuralgia). Those symptoms usually occur when the labia minora tissue is over-resected. Furthermore, the surgeon had a problem with the anatomy of the labia minora, clitoral prepuce, and clitoral frenulum and failed to address those structures for esthetic purposes. In addition, your surgeon had a problem with surgical suturing and tying, and as a result, you suffer from “railroad track” complications and the attempt was made to correct by applying radiofrequency equipment that has never been tested scientifically. In your situation, the operations that can positively resolve your concerns:1. Step I, expansion of the labia minora tissue (the technique that I am currently doing clinical research on with good initial results),2. Step II, reconstruction of the labia minora,3. Step III, reconstruction of the clitoral prepuce and clitoral frenula.
With regards,
Prof. Dr. Adam OstrzenskiUSA

Basically, I agree with Dr. Janssen, but you deserve a personal answer, and that will involve a consultation. It may be that you were inadequately counselled by your surgeon. Looking at your labia I see an acceptible outcome from a linear (trim) labiaplasty while noting a somewhat choppy edge appearance. This outcome may be secondary to the type of suture used, surgical technique, or (very often) to how your body reacts to suture material and the scarring that occurs around each suture loop, resulting in a wavy/choppy appearance. Additionally, it may be that your pre-op anatomy was such that your robust labia were wavy all the way down to your interlabial fold, and that any trim procedure would result in a wavy post-op appearance and that perhaps you would have been better served by a wedge-type procedure. So much to consider! So that an adequate history can be taken, so that your psychological distress and any pain can be evaluated, and so that your consultant can find out what kind of sutures were used the first time around, and so that your specific questions can be adequately answered, I highly recommend a personal consultation (in-person or virtual) with an expert specializing in revision labiaplasty. Warm regards, Michael P Goodman, MD, FACOG, IF, AAACS. Revision Labiaplasty Specialist. The Labiaplasty and Vaginoplasty Training Center of America, Inc. Davis, CA, USA

Your labia fall within the category of normal. I would recommend against any further work. There is a wide variety of what is considered normal and you are not at either end of the spectrum. You are not too big and not amputated. If you do further work, you are likely to be worse, not better.