Fairbanks Plastic Surgery

About this procedure

There are several common genital deformities that can negatively affect a woman’s self-esteem, physical comfort, and hinder sexual function. Plastic surgery procedures are available that can successfully improve the appearance of the female genital region, correct issues that cause physical discomfort, and improve the sexual aspect of a woman’s life. These procedures are generally performed under a local anesthetic with intravenous sedation in the privacy of a full-scale operating room in an office surgical center. Some of the common deformities that women look to plastic surgery to correct include the following:

 

Excessive or Hypertrophic Labia Minora: When the labia minora hang down below the labia majora, tender and fragile tissue is exposed, which can become subject to chafing, as well as cause pain and discomfort during sexual intercourse. The appearance of excessively large labia minora can also be undesirable for a woman's self image. 

 

Over-sized labia minora can be reduced surgically, utilizing a plastic surgery procedure called a labiaplasty. This procedure provides a normal appearance, when properly performed, and eliminates the problems of discomfort and chafing. The risks are low, and healing is rapid.

 

Excessive Labia Majora: When the labia majora are too large, hanging, or loose, they can cause the vagina to hang open, depending on the woman’s posture, and can be an embarrassment to the patient.This situation is corrected through a plastic surgery procedure that reduces the size of the labia majora and tightens the area to the desired extent without noticeable scarring.

 

Small Labia Majora: Deflated or atrophic labia majora can appear wrinkled and have an aging appearance. When the labia majora are too small, it can make the labia minora look too prominent by comparison, and cause issues similar to excessively large labia minora.

 

Successful methods exist to enlarge the outer labia and provide an appealing, pleasing, and more youthful appearance. This is done using a patient's own tissues. This can lead to improved self-confidence and a concurrent improvement in sexual relations.

 

 

Ptosis of the Vulva (Drooping): This refers to a condition where the entire genital region is hanging down. This can be extremely uncomfortable, difficult to control, and can predispose to rashes, called intertrigo.This situation can be successfully resolved during an abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck, by advancing the vulvar region upward and securely anchoring it in its normal position. There is no additional scarring.

 

Ptosis of the Clitoris: Ordinarily, the clitoris is securely attached to the pubic bone by a central suspensory ligament. When this connection fails, or becomes too lax, the clitoris can hang too far down, sometimes into the vagina, and cause problems with urination, irritation, as well as sexual intercourse and stimulation.The operation to correct clitoral ptosis involves reconnecting the clitoris in the region of the suspensory ligament to bring the clitoris back to its normal position.

 

Excessive Clitoral Hooding: Too much skin hanging over the clitoris glans can interfere with normal sexual function and stimulation. Correction can be done, but care should be taken not to remove too much. In the patient who has had the clitoris hood completely removed (as in female circumcision), a new clitoris hood, or prepuce, can be reconstructed using local skin flaps.

 

Corrective plastic surgery is designed to remove just enough of the hood to allow the proper degree of stimulation to occur during intercourse, while leaving the protective function of the clitoral hood intact.

 

Vaginaplasty: Vaginaplasty refers to vaginal tightening. When the vaginal os, or external opening, is too wide, excessively large, or patulous, this situation can result in unsatisfactory sexual relations. Such a condition may be related to trauma, especially the trauma of childbirth, or the result of an episiotomy repair that failed. In either instance, the result is the same. Correction consists of transposing internal tissue flaps across the midline and securing them well. Thereafter, excess skin is excised, and closure of the skin and mucosal covering is made over the repair. Sexual intercourse can be resumed in six weeks, at which time maximum strength of the repair will have been achieved.

 

At Fairbanks Plastic Surgery Center, our plastic surgeons have extensive experience over many years of performing Female Cosmetic Genital Surgery. Call for a consultation.