Finally Plucked Up Courage - Leeds, GB

I noticed that I was different to other girls around the age of 11, when we had communal showers at school after playing sports. It wasn't too much of a problem then, but as I got older my labia minora progressively enlarged. I got married young and my husband loved my body as it was, but after our divorce, and going on a few dates, I became very insecure about my anatomy down there.

So, for many years I have thought about having this procedure done. I started to feel ashamed of my body – going for a smear test was so embarrassing, and being intimate with a new boyfriend for the first time was not easy for me. As I got older I found sexual intercourse was becoming more difficult, with my labia getting pulled and stretched, which made things even worse. When the menopause hit, maybe it was hormones, or the lack of them, the excess skin seemed to grow and fill out even more, especially round my clitoris.

I'd spent enough time thinking about having this procedure done and I finally decided to act. I spent quite a while researching the procedure on-line (pros and cons, and the various techniques). I found the Realself community to be invaluable in this regard. It has been so interesting and informative to be able to read other people's experiences – both good and bad, to weigh up the pros and cons. It helped give me the courage to proceed.

I found the names of several plastic surgeons who performed this procedure. I wanted someone in the North of England, so narrowed my research to that area. Almost straight away Mr Mahajan struck me as being a very experienced, competent and qualified plastic surgeon – all his reviews are excellent. Although it meant travelling quite a distance I decided to request a consultation with him at the Yorkshire Clinic. He put me at ease straight away. He is professional yet has a gentle manner. After examining me he drew out a diagram and explained the procedure he would carry out on me, gave me plenty of time to ask questions, totally reassured me. I felt he was someone who would do the best job possible, someone I could put my trust in. It's such an intimate part of your body, so it is a big decision. He wanted me to wait 2 weeks before making a final decision.

After my consultation I was determined I wanted to go through with it, and as soon as possible, so after about 10 days I got in touch again and confirmed I wanted to go ahead. Fortunately for me he was able to schedule my operation soon after. I had the procedure done under general anaesthetic at the Yorkshire Clinic – everything went really well. I could not believe what a neat job Mr Mahajan had done. He is a truly excellent plastic surgeon. There was hardly any bruising or bleeding, and just slight discomfort. The stitches were hardly visible. I had the trim method, extending up the sides of my clitoral hood (to reduce some of the bulk and give a more natural appearance). The stitches were sort of on the inside surface of my labia minora, as though the outside edges had been folded over, and not on the rim, and I think this has helped the healing process and given a much better result.

The first photo shows the before image, the second 3 days after, the third 10 days after and the next 2 shows the results 6 weeks after. (sorry about the hair - I can get ingrowing hair so tend not to shave or wax).

The day after the op the swelling started, but only mild discomfort. I spent the first 3 or 4 days lying down to help the healing process and again there was still swelling and any discomfort was relieved by the codeine tablets that the clinic had provided. There was no stinging when using the loo. Days 5 and 6 I was walking round the house ok, but found sitting quite uncomfortable. Up to day 11, everything was going well, had been out to buy groceries, etc. but sitting still uncomfortable (okay if slouching). Day 12, the stitches were starting to dissolve, and I noticed some wound separation on the left hand side. I was worried, so I rang the clinic and the nurse I spoke to said it was quite common for this to happen at the time the stitches were dissolving, and to wait and see how things healed. I read up on the Realself website about wound separation and this also reassured me. My right side healed up quickly, but it took another 2 weeks for the left side to finally knit together, but everything turned out okay. I was worried about getting infection while everything was healing. I had been given Chloramphenicol ointment (also used for bacterial conjunctivitis) to use for the first week - it is very gentle on sensitive areas). I had some left over, but I also decided to use Manuka honey. I don't know whether anyone else has used this but I found it really helped - it's supposed to have all sorts of healing properties and was also very soothing.

So, 6 weeks on, I've had my post op review and everything is going well. I am so pleased with the results. The area round my clitoris still swells up a bit at times, but this will settle down over time. I really wish I'd had this done years ago.

My advice to anyone having this procedure done would be:
do your research and choose a competent well qualified plastic surgeon;
rest up for the first week - even if you feel great - in the long run you'll heal faster, with less chance of complications;
be careful round the 10-14 day mark when your stitches are dissolving, the tissues will still be knitting together, without the support of stitches.

So, yeah, 3 years on and I can say I've had no regrets about having this procedure. I was so pleased with the results initially, and I still am. Mr Mahajan was the right consultant for me - he would still be my first choice.