What are the types of labiaplasty procedure?


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There have been a number of different techniques in order to carry out labiaplasty. Each have their benefits and disadvantages but your surgeon will carry out the procedure they feel is best in your situation and that they can complete to the best of their ability. So what are the different techniques that can be used?

The amputation technique

The amputation technique was the first technique used in order to perform this surgery and it is also the most simplistic. It reduces the size of the labia by cutting away the excess tissue. First a clamp will be placed on this area in order to control bleeding and then the tissue that is not needed will be cut off using either a scalpel or a laser. The wound will then be stitched up, usually with a running stitch and the product is that the labia are smaller than before. This technique does combat the issue of large labia but as it is effectively amputation it will remove the natural edge of the labia, leaving a less natural looking edge. You will most likely also have a scar from the wound. As the tissue is full of nerve endings then this technique is more likely to cause nerve damage as you are removing quite a lot of the tissue in some cases. This can cause a less of sensitivity. Another drawback of this method is that the labia skin can reverse so that the pink skin on the inside of the labia is now visible.

The central wedge resection technique

This method is a newer method than the amputation technique and works by a different technique. The surgeon will cut a triangle of the tissue out of the centre of the labia. The rest of the tissue can then be retracted back so that the labia become smaller. An advantage to this technique over the amputation method is that it does not cut away the edge of the labia so they remain natural and you have les scarring. However, you are still cutting away a chunk of the connective tissue so there is the risk of causing loss of sensitivity. It can lead to numbness or the development of neuromas, which are tumours what occur in the nervous system. However, this is a very rare occurrence.

The de-epithelisation technique

This method was developed in 2000 and provides an alternative to cutting away the connective tissue. The surgery involves removing some of the epithelial layers of the labia on either side of them. This reduces the labia lips without removing a large amount of connective tissue. Therefore, you can preserve the edge of the labia and reduce the chance of causing numbness. However, it can cause the width of the labia to increase if it is carried out on a large area.

This technique can also use lasers and this can minimize scarring more so than the use of a scalpel. However, it can cause the risk of epidermal cysts, which are a complication of this technique and will have to be removed through further surgery.

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