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My main motivation for undergoing labiaplasty is...
My main motivation for undergoing labiaplasty is to reduce pain during sex, exercise, and sitting for long periods of time. Back when I was still contemplating scheduling the surgery, I spent a few weeks trying to be hyperaware of any moment my labia caused me discomfort, and it blew me away how frequently I was experiencing pain or discomfort daily. I think I've become so used to it, that I block it out. This was the moment where it clicked that I wanted to do something about it for sure.
Since I was a teenager, I've looked at lots of pictures of lady parts on the internet trying to decide if I was "normal" or not. I have larger labia, but ultimately I know I'm within the realm of normal. There are certainly moments where I look in the mirror after a shower and cringe a bit at how my inner labia extend farther than my outer labia, and when I actually look with a handheld mirror, I wish I didn't have so much darkness on the edges. (By the way, my surgeon told me that dark tissue can be a sign of many years of chafing and rubbing, so it could be a good indicator that your labia are generally causing discomfort!) It was important to me to walk into this surgery believing I was beautiful the way I was born, but excited to make changes that could improve my quality of life.
I found a board certified plastic surgeon near me by reading tons of reviews on Real Self and elsewhere. I strongly advise anyone to settle for nothing less than a *board certified surgeon*, and one that specializes in plastic and cosmetic procedures. A cosmetic surgeon is trained to incise and stitch things in a way that reduces scaring and facilitates healing, and the amount of time she spent during the initial consultation and then on surgery day drawing up the incision lines on my labia made me feel like she was giving such a final, life-changing decision the attention it deserved. Remember, something like this is an art! There is a delicate, intricate way to go about a surgery, and there is an objective "cut it off and stitch it up" way to go about surgery. Don't short change yourself!
The procedure was yesterday, so I will describe the surgery and first 12 hours of post-op. I chose to do the procedure in a clinical setting as opposed to the hospital. It was a tiny bit cheaper, and allowed me to do local anesthesia as opposed to going completely under. I drove myself, which I kind of regret (I'll explain later.) After getting undressed from the waste down and getting situated on the operating table, the surgical assistant started by smearing a numbing cream all over the area. This made the actual needle injection of the anesthesia 15 minutes later virtually painless. They put up a surgical curtain so I couldn't see what was going on -- this helped me disassociate from the experience a bit and just relax. The doctor spent quite a bit of time drawing the marker lines for incision. I was scared about removing too much tissue, and she reassured me that the amount she was removing was appropriate and would make my inner labia flush with my outer. The procedure took a little over an hour, and I was able to text, read emails, and listen to music during the entire thing. It was virtually painless, but you can feel little tugs and pressure every now and again. I'm an anxious person, and the surgery part was a piece of cake. I was honestly bored during it, which was way better than feeling anxious and rushed! I think going under would have been overkill, but that is ultimately a personal decision.
After it was done, I had some time to carefully dress and receive my post-op instructions.
The next 2 hours were the absolute worst part of the entire experience (pain-wise), and this is where I wish I hadn't driven myself, since the clinic was 40 minutes from my home. I got in the car, popped 800 mg of ibuprofen, and went to Walgreens (5 mins away from clinic) to get the pain killer prescription filled. By the time I got to the counter, I was doubled over in pain. When they told me it would take 15-20 minutes, I almost cried. It was obvious that being upright was causing all the blood to flow straight down to the surgery site and it was beginning to swell. I bought an ice pack, and then laid in the back seat of my car while I waited for the prescription and to be completely honest, was sobbing from the pain praying no one would see me in my PJs with an ice pack on my crotch bawling in the backseat of the car. After 15 minutes the prescription still wasn't ready, so I decided to just leave. (I had some left over pain meds from wisdom tooth removal, so I was laser focused on getting home ASAP to take them.)
I cried the entire drive home because the pain was so bad. If I had someone drive me, I could've laid in the back and kept the blood from rushing to that area, and I could've taken the pain killers right away (remember, don't drive with prescription pain meds!). I finally made it home, took the pain meds, and was able to lay down with an ice pack. I've pretty much been on the couch ever since! :)
I have looked at some other ladies' post-op pictures, and to be honest, some of them really have freaked me out. The amount of swelling, bleeding, and bruising I've seen made me really anxious about this whole experience. I seriously believe the after-care instructions I received are CRUCIAL to successful healing. Here's the key: Stay in a laying position, keep pelvis elevated with a few pillows (higher than your heart), and keep ice on it as much as possible. My doctor wants me to do this for 3 solid days, and I think it's totally worth it. I've been laying down pretty much exclusively since the surgery. I finally got the courage to look at the area last night, and there is very minimal swelling and zero bruising. There are little puffy spots around the stitches, but I can totally tell what it will look like when it is healed, which is a massive relief. Seriously ladies, if you can hack laying with your pelvis elevated higher than your heart for a few days, my experience (thus far) tells me it is absolutely worth it! Maybe things will start to swell and bruise in the next few days, but for now, I'm insanely optimistic.
Since I was a teenager, I've looked at lots of pictures of lady parts on the internet trying to decide if I was "normal" or not. I have larger labia, but ultimately I know I'm within the realm of normal. There are certainly moments where I look in the mirror after a shower and cringe a bit at how my inner labia extend farther than my outer labia, and when I actually look with a handheld mirror, I wish I didn't have so much darkness on the edges. (By the way, my surgeon told me that dark tissue can be a sign of many years of chafing and rubbing, so it could be a good indicator that your labia are generally causing discomfort!) It was important to me to walk into this surgery believing I was beautiful the way I was born, but excited to make changes that could improve my quality of life.
I found a board certified plastic surgeon near me by reading tons of reviews on Real Self and elsewhere. I strongly advise anyone to settle for nothing less than a *board certified surgeon*, and one that specializes in plastic and cosmetic procedures. A cosmetic surgeon is trained to incise and stitch things in a way that reduces scaring and facilitates healing, and the amount of time she spent during the initial consultation and then on surgery day drawing up the incision lines on my labia made me feel like she was giving such a final, life-changing decision the attention it deserved. Remember, something like this is an art! There is a delicate, intricate way to go about a surgery, and there is an objective "cut it off and stitch it up" way to go about surgery. Don't short change yourself!
The procedure was yesterday, so I will describe the surgery and first 12 hours of post-op. I chose to do the procedure in a clinical setting as opposed to the hospital. It was a tiny bit cheaper, and allowed me to do local anesthesia as opposed to going completely under. I drove myself, which I kind of regret (I'll explain later.) After getting undressed from the waste down and getting situated on the operating table, the surgical assistant started by smearing a numbing cream all over the area. This made the actual needle injection of the anesthesia 15 minutes later virtually painless. They put up a surgical curtain so I couldn't see what was going on -- this helped me disassociate from the experience a bit and just relax. The doctor spent quite a bit of time drawing the marker lines for incision. I was scared about removing too much tissue, and she reassured me that the amount she was removing was appropriate and would make my inner labia flush with my outer. The procedure took a little over an hour, and I was able to text, read emails, and listen to music during the entire thing. It was virtually painless, but you can feel little tugs and pressure every now and again. I'm an anxious person, and the surgery part was a piece of cake. I was honestly bored during it, which was way better than feeling anxious and rushed! I think going under would have been overkill, but that is ultimately a personal decision.
After it was done, I had some time to carefully dress and receive my post-op instructions.
The next 2 hours were the absolute worst part of the entire experience (pain-wise), and this is where I wish I hadn't driven myself, since the clinic was 40 minutes from my home. I got in the car, popped 800 mg of ibuprofen, and went to Walgreens (5 mins away from clinic) to get the pain killer prescription filled. By the time I got to the counter, I was doubled over in pain. When they told me it would take 15-20 minutes, I almost cried. It was obvious that being upright was causing all the blood to flow straight down to the surgery site and it was beginning to swell. I bought an ice pack, and then laid in the back seat of my car while I waited for the prescription and to be completely honest, was sobbing from the pain praying no one would see me in my PJs with an ice pack on my crotch bawling in the backseat of the car. After 15 minutes the prescription still wasn't ready, so I decided to just leave. (I had some left over pain meds from wisdom tooth removal, so I was laser focused on getting home ASAP to take them.)
I cried the entire drive home because the pain was so bad. If I had someone drive me, I could've laid in the back and kept the blood from rushing to that area, and I could've taken the pain killers right away (remember, don't drive with prescription pain meds!). I finally made it home, took the pain meds, and was able to lay down with an ice pack. I've pretty much been on the couch ever since! :)
I have looked at some other ladies' post-op pictures, and to be honest, some of them really have freaked me out. The amount of swelling, bleeding, and bruising I've seen made me really anxious about this whole experience. I seriously believe the after-care instructions I received are CRUCIAL to successful healing. Here's the key: Stay in a laying position, keep pelvis elevated with a few pillows (higher than your heart), and keep ice on it as much as possible. My doctor wants me to do this for 3 solid days, and I think it's totally worth it. I've been laying down pretty much exclusively since the surgery. I finally got the courage to look at the area last night, and there is very minimal swelling and zero bruising. There are little puffy spots around the stitches, but I can totally tell what it will look like when it is healed, which is a massive relief. Seriously ladies, if you can hack laying with your pelvis elevated higher than your heart for a few days, my experience (thus far) tells me it is absolutely worth it! Maybe things will start to swell and bruise in the next few days, but for now, I'm insanely optimistic.
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