Labiaplasty (Labia Correction)

What is a Labiaplasty?
A labiaplasty (labia reduction) ensures a better proportion between the inner and outer labia. Enlarged inner labia can cause discomfort and pain, often making women feel restricted during activities such as sexual intercourse, cycling, and horseback riding. Tight clothing can also cause skin irritation.

In Brief
Your labia are out of proportion, and this is causing you discomfort. The plastic surgeon can correct the labia.

• The procedure is outpatient; you will not be admitted to our clinic.
• If you use blood thinners, please notify us.
• You will receive a local anesthetic.
• The surgery takes about 45 minutes. After the procedure, you will have some stitches.
• You are not allowed to drive yourself home after the procedure. Someone must pick you up.
• For residual pain, you may take paracetamol.
• Once you are back home, follow the advice in this brochure.
• If there are any problems after the surgery, please call Plastic Surgery at Haaglanden Clinics.

Preparation for Surgery
Before undergoing surgery, there are a few things you need to arrange:

• Make sure the surgical area is completely shaved.
• Arrange for someone to take you home. You can go home immediately after the procedure, but you are not allowed to participate in traffic yourself.
• Do not drink alcohol for 24 hours before the surgery. Alcohol acts as a blood thinner and can cause complications during the procedure.
• We advise you to stop smoking at least 2 weeks before the surgery and during the healing process. Smoking delays wound healing.
• After the surgery, you need to cool the area regularly. We recommend using a cold pack or frozen peas for this. You can fill a few small bags with frozen peas and cool them in the freezer. Placing the bags inside a washcloth works very well for cooling.

Medication
If you use blood-thinning medication (such as Marcoumar, Sinaspril, Sintrom, Ascal, or Apixaban), we request that you report this during your first intake consultation with the plastic surgeon. You will receive instructions from the plastic surgeon regarding the use of blood-thinning medication prior to the procedure.

On the day of surgery, you can start taking the painkiller paracetamol. You may take 1000 mg four times a day. Do not use Aspirin or Naprosyne, as these thin the blood.

Surgery
During the labiaplasty, the excess skin and mucous membrane of the labia are removed. The labiaplasty can be performed in several ways. During the initial consultation, we will discuss which method will yield the best result for you.

The procedure takes place in one of the treatment rooms. You can eat and drink normally beforehand. The labiaplasty is performed under local anesthesia. This means you will receive a few small injections in the labia with a fine needle, so your labia will feel numb. You will therefore be awake during the procedure.

The procedure takes about 45 minutes. Prior to the surgery, the excess tissue is marked on the labia with a sterile marker so that the plastic surgeon can see exactly which part needs to be removed. During the operation, the excess labial tissue is removed, and the blood vessels are cauterized. Subsequently, the labia are neatly sutured using thin, dissolvable stitches. These dissolve on their own and do not need to be removed later.

After Surgery

• After the surgery, you will go home.
• You cannot drive yourself, so make sure someone picks you up.
• Immediately after the surgery, the labia will be swollen and painful.
• The anesthesia will wear off after about 2 hours. You may experience some residual pain after the surgery. If necessary, you can take paracetamol, up to a
• Maximum of 4 x 2 tablets of 500 mg per day.
• You may experience some blood loss. Please make sure you buy enough sanitary pads before the surgery.
• We advise you to cool the area after surgery with a cold pack or a washcloth containing frozen peas or ice cubes.
• After using the toilet, it is important to rinse the wound with tap water (from a bottle or using the shower).
• A small amount of Vaseline ointment may be applied to the labia.
• Counteract the swelling as much as possible during the first few days by sitting on a rolled-up towel during the day.
• Sports, sexual intercourse, cycling, horseback riding, and heavy physical labor are not recommended for the first 6 weeks after the procedure.
• The final result will be visible 3 to 6 months after the treatment.
• You will receive an appointment for a follow-up check-in at Haaglanden Clinics. This will be approximately 2 weeks after the surgery.

Risks and Complications

• Fortunately, complications with this surgery are very rare, but they cannot be ruled out.
• The surgery can cause post-operative bleeding at the wound site.
• The wound may also heal poorly, which can lead to a wound infection.
• It is possible that the original symptoms may return.

Important
For all physical complaints, questions, or if you feel something is not right, please contact Haaglanden Clinics.

Questions and Availability
For questions, you can contact Haaglanden Clinics at telephone number 070-2 21 21 21.

In case of an emergency or urgent complaints outside the opening hours of Haaglanden Clinics, please call the Emergency Department (Spoedeisende Hulp) of the Haaglanden Medisch Centrum at telephone number 088-9792380.

Please clearly state that you have been treated by a plastic surgeon from Haaglanden Clinics and that there are agreements in place for your aftercare to be handled by the HMC.