Labiaplasty (Minora Reduction)

My Bread-and-Butter Surgery.  Labia Minoraplasty reshapes the thinner inner lips that can cause irritation, rubbing, pulling, and painful sex.  Many professional athletes and active women have this surgery to reduce the need for reaching down and chronically adjusting like baseball players do.  This is also often done to improve the appearance and symmetry of the labia minora and help improve confidence.  In reality most patients want it to look better and feel better too.  The term “Labiaplasty” is also cosmetic surgery of the labia majora (larger outer lips) to make it less prominent and saggy.

Almost all our labiaplasty surgeries are done in the office awake and without an IV using local anesthesia.  You can choose to take gentle antianxiety pills and a mild narcotic to be comfortably warm and fuzzy during the procedure.  Precision radiofrequency surgery or LightScalpel laser surgery are my preferred tools.  I created a lay person lingo to describe the degree of labial possible.

I do curvilinear excision and avoid wedge labiaplasty in general.  Significantly fewer complications and breakdowns.  You won’t find my terminology in most medical textbooks.  For example, removal of just the edge of the labia is called Rim Look Labiaplasty.  It is the most conservative aproach.  Removal of almost all or all of the labia minora is called The Barbie Look (Barbie has no labia).  I developed this in 2005.  This is the most aggressive approach popular in California and the West Coast and the most requested look in my practice.  It is certainly not for everyone.  Patients who have enough labia majora to be able to cover the opening, those who want ultimate comfort without the need to chronically adjust themselves (athletes and Olympians) are great candidates for this Look.  You have to be sure and not wavering or second guessing before you choose this technique because you cannot reverse it.

The middle road where most of the labia is removed but leaving some is called The Hybrid Look.  It competes with the Barbie Look and almost indistinguishable from it as its edges are also below the level of the labia majora also and looks tucked in but not all gone like the Barbie Look.

Of course, the patient can choose what degree of tissue removal is done as I have the most precise tools to achieve desired outcomes. Labia minoraplasty takes me a couple of dedicated and intense hours of concentration.  Run away from the surgeon that tells you they can do this in half an hour.  You want precision.

How much to Remove?