Cosmetic Surgery Trend: A Surge in Labioplasty

Spring must be in the air as the requests for labia minora reduction or labioplasty has increased substantially here in my practice. Most patients requesting this procedure report feeling uneasy in a bathing suit because of bulkiness in the vaginal area. Since the Allure magazine interview in the July issue, we have received a huge surge of interest and countless calls inquiring about this "Secret Surgery" and have done more than 170 actual labioplasties here in my Duxbury operative center.

We have received a lot of visits to our web site for pages with information on Labiaplasty, especially this page with animated demonstrations of 3 labia surgeries. They've been very useful in communicating with my patients and helping them understand the procedures.

Redundant labia minora seems to affect patients in their 20's. Most are very embarrassed to discuss the matter with loved ones, and are delighted to find that a simple surgical treatment is available to improve the appearance of the vagina area. The most common complaint is what is known as "hanging" labia. The surgery takes about 45 minutes under local anesthesia and the recovery is 4 to 5 days of rest and icing.

The procedure has also received attention having been featured on television shows such as "Dr. 90210" and "Nip Tuck" in the past year. Patients frequently tell me they did not realize such a procedure was possible until they read about it in the Allure article.