Does 4.5 hours for a labiaplasty sound accurate? 4 cm long on each side. I was not expecting the procedure to last this long.

Thank you for your question. There are a lot of things to consider when it comes to procedural time for a labiaplasty procedure. Technique and whether or not anesthesia is involved are going to be the biggest factors that can contribute to overall procedural time. Our typical procedures are around 3 hours but we do occasionally have some that take longer. I would ask your surgeon of you're curious, she should be able to explain step by step the procedure to you and help you better understand the time it takes. Hope this helps!

Average times for labiaplasty vary depending upon whether the clitoral hood needs work at the same time. The combo, in my hands, rarely exceeds 2 hours. Without the hood, 60-90 minutes would be typical. However, if you doc is delivering good results and isn't charging you by the hour, then I wouldn't see that as an issue unless you're doing it under general anesthesia.

HI,
No offense but I am just going to be blunt. 4.5 hours is insane. This procedure should take 1.5 hours max. I routinely perform labiaplasty under local anesthesia and have minimal discomfort during the surgery. Please visit my web site and review the information that I provide about Labiaplasty.

Regards,

Daniel A. Medalie, MD

It might be a good idea to ask your surgeon for clarification. You can ask what she means exactly by 4.5 hours. Would that be the length of time you’d actually be operated on?

That certainly is a lengthy amount of time to allocate for a labiaplasty. There is a standard everyone follows. Social media can make things deceiving and develop a recipe for patient misconception. I want my patients to have my procedures make sense and for them to feel good about the process. Happy to discuss things further more formally. Hope you find someone you are comfortable with.

Thank you for your question There are approximately fourteen different methods published to do a labiaplasty. If you add the time to perform a reduction of prepuce the total time for any of them would rarely exceed 2 1/2 hours. You need to do your homework in choosing a surgeon The video below may be helpful in your research

I am not sure of this particular doctors technique, the only thing I can tell you is that in my practice, with almost a decade of experience doing these procedures, it has never taken me longer than 1.5-2 hours max. Different surgeons have different ways of doing things and perhaps there is good reason for this surgeon to need that much time. The most important part of finding the right surgeon is to look at their credentials, history with this particular type of surgery and results. Ultimately you will live with the result of your choice so you want to make sure you choose someone who has lots of experience and great results consistently. I hope this helps.

Hi LovelyRedLace,
Great question! Time for the procedure definitely depends on the number of procedures involved as well as the amount of tissue being removed. Other factors include the amount of detail suturing that will be required. In my office procedures are done with the patient awake so additional time is set aside for pre-numbing. On average labiaplasty on a patient with the length you mention (including a clitoral hood reduction) will take about 2 hours of surgery time and 1 hour of prep. This can vary based on the thickness of the labia and the patient's desired post op look to be achieved. I too developed my own technique 5 years ago and it does add a bit more time to the total allotted. Best wishes to you in your endeavor.~Dr. Poucher

Thank you for your question. If your inner and outer vaginal lips are shortened and reshaped and your vaginal wall tightened, the surgery will take about 2 hours. Without tightening the vaginal wall it should last around one hour.
I'm not familiar with your surgeon and her technique but the best advice I can give you is to discuss everything with your doctor openly. Ask her everything in detail. I'm sure she will be happy to explain it to you. Good luck with your surgery.

Thank you for your question. This sounds like a very long time, even with clitoral hood reduction. I personally do these surgeries under local anesthesia +/- oral sedation. I prefer the wedge resection technique, which is more complicated than a trim resection. Takes 90 minutes. Seek other opinions. Usually, the novice surgeons do these under general anesthesia and takes them a long time compared to a surgeon with experience in female cosmetic genital rejuvenation. Good luck.