Recovering from Labiaplasty

Interest in labiaplasty, a group of surgical techniques to refine a woman’s external genitalia, has grown exponentially in recent years. The struggles of living with elongated, asymmetrical, or oversized labia have come to an end for the women who have chosen to correct these issues through the surgical contouring of the labia minora or labia majora.

You may have very good reasons for wanting to alter the shape and size of your labia. At the same time, you may have a bit of apprehension, too, that is keeping you from making the call to your plastic surgeon. We want patients of our Bloomington office to know what they can expect from labiaplasty, including how to pave a straight path to complete recovery.

Managing Pain

Perhaps the idea of labiaplasty requiring a painful recovery is what holds you back from scheduling your consultation. This procedure is, in fact, very precise. The method of tissue refinement has been developed to minimize disruption and to preserve the delicate nature of nerve-endings around the vagina. This means that recovery is also not nearly as uncomfortable as one may think.

Patients are encouraged to begin their recommended dosing of pain medication before local anesthetic has worn off. This way, there is no surge of discomfort during the early hours after surgery. Following the recommended prescription from your doctor, you are well on your way to a stress-free recuperation period. Within a few days, most patients are switching from prescription pain medication to over-the-counter products like acetaminophen.

Time Off

Patients need to schedule only a day or two off for labiaplasty surgery due to a short period of recovery. If a procedure is scheduled on Thursday or Friday, it may be possible to resume a normal workday by Monday or Tuesday. If your job requires extensive physical activity or heavy lifting, you may need up to a week off to avoid disruption to incision healing.

“Other Activities”

The labia seem like very delicate parts of the body. They are, and they are also very resilient. Incisions are the biggest factor in postponing activities such as exercise and sexual intercourse. Other than walking and light exercise, activities should be gradually resumed 4 to 6 weeks post-surgery. This also includes sex.

Labiaplasty can create more comfortable conditions on both the physical and the emotional level. Learn more about this procedure at 309-664-1007.