Labiaplasty by Dr. Cherup: Part I
Labiaplasty is a plastic surgery procedure for altering the labia minora (inner labia) and the labia majora (outer labia), which are the folds of skin surrounding the human female vulva.
I perform labiaplasty surgery on a regular basis at our Radiance Surgical Center, located in Pittsburgh, PA. Patients present to a plastic surgeon who offers labiaplasty surgery because they often feel that their gynecologist or family doctor has not taken their concerns seriously. Some women are uncomfortable with the appearance and some women experience physical discomfort in their perineum as a result of childbirth, aging, or other events.
I have an interest in helping my female patients with their problems of this nature. This stems from my belief that on some level, the aesthetic appearance of the female genitalia deserves as much consideration as the aesthetic appearance of any other part of the body.
Labiaplasty, commonly called vaginal rejuvenation, is a fairly new subject. The articles that have been written fall mostly in the gynecological literature, with very few in the plastic surgery literature. The leaders of this area of plastic surgery are located in LA and Ohio, surprisingly. Unlike the treatises that have been published on the principals of breast, eyelid and facial plastic surgery, there are no textbooks on perineal (that which encompasses the labia, clitoris and vagina) rejuvenation. Plastic surgeons, in general, would like to learn from their GYN colleagues, but don’t trust them because we believe they do not consider sensation, nerve and arterial supply, and tissue viability as seriously as we do. Therefore, we are hesitant to experiment with unproven labiaplasty techniques and would like to stick with basic principals of tissue rearrangement and healing.
Read more about the actual labiaplasty procedure.