Could Labiaplasty Fix Your Sex Life? Personal Experience of Vulva Surgery

Could Labiaplasty Fix Your Sex Life? Personal Experience of Vulva Surgery

What is labiaplasty? Labiaplasty is a form of vulva surgery by vaginoplasty surgeons which changes the size, shape and look of the labia majora and/or labia minora. This may be done for increased physical comfort, self-confidence or sexual enhancement reasons.

One reason for the surge in labiaplasty popularity may be the numerous celebrities who have publicly declared they’ve had this intimate surgery. These include Tyra Banks, Sharon Osbourne, Chrissy Teigen, Gemma Collins and several Kardashians.

Although increased self-confidence & improved sex life due to the change in labia appearance aren’t the only reasons people opt for labiaplasty, with some operations simply aiming to resolve physical discomfort or issues, they’re strong motivators. It would be a mistake to believe that any form of surgery is a ‘quick fix’ for confidence or love life issues, but personal anecdotes from some who have undergone this operation show that it can be a huge help.

Types of Labia Enhancement

There are two types of labiaplasty: surgical/invasive and non-surgical/non-invasive. The main difference should be obvious, but in case there’s any confusion:

Surgical labiaplasty: The vaginoplasty surgeon cuts and removes a wedge-shaped or lengthwise piece of labial tissue, then places stitches along the cut to close it.

Non-surgical labiaplasty: Radiofrequency heat is used to tighten the labial tissues, avoiding cutting and sutures.

Is Labia Surgery Right For You?

From a personal perspective, I feel like I have large labia. I’m not 100% content with the aesthetics of my vulva region. That said, I’ve decided against labia surgery. I’m not suffering any physical discomfort or psychological hindrance to my sex life due to my feelings about my genitalia, therefore surgery/other therapies would be an unnecessary inconvenience, never mind the expense. I realise, however, that not everyone will feel this way. There are plenty of people in the world who are desperately unhappy with the appearance and feel of their vulva/vagina, and these people may feel like surgery is their only option.

It’s easy to believe that labiaplasty and other vaginoplasty treatments are purely for vanity/aesthetics, especially when seemingly confident celebrities are undergoing similar surgeries.
After speaking to a long-time reader of the Cara Sutra sex blog, it became apparent that labiaplasty can be life-changing for some. The long term effects on an affected person’s self-confidence and sex life are not to be underestimated.

If you’re considering the pros and cons of labiaplasty for yourself, I’m sure you’ll find my reader’s personal journey extremely insightful and helpful. My reader, who has chosen to remain anonymous, feels that labiaplasty gave them back their life, their body confidence, and fixed their sex life. Impactful indeed!

How Labia Surgery Fixed My Sex Life: A Reader’s Personal Experience

Back when I was a teenager, I often wondered just what was normal for ‘down there’. On one occasion, my girlfriends and I were messing around during the usual teen explorations and adventures in self discovery. One of them exclaimed, “what the hell is THAT hanging out of your vagina?!” which is where my issues started.

What WAS that?

An experience like this affected my sexual confidence and sex life before it had even had the chance to begin. Boys came and went, but never did I allow a man to look ‘down there’.

Any intimate activities would be completely controlled by me; I would guide their hand or penis in a way to stop them touching that THING and them running for the hills.

However, things got serious when I met my wonderful fiancé Bill in 2010. I was still so shy during intimate moments that he only ever saw it once. That’s when we took a shower together. He never said anything but I was convinced he was horrified.

Then in 2012 I fell pregnant with my little girl. Pregnancy just made it 100% worse. Everything swelled up and my fiancé even asked me on one occasion if my lips had grown in size. I almost died from shame.

The birth was the final straw. My baby was 9lbs 8oz who tore me to pieces. My labia were just shredded to bits and they had to be sewn back together and stitched back on. As a result they now looked bigger and more mangled than ever. I felt so depressed.

Consequently as I retreated into my shell, I refused to have sex with my fiancé. I couldn’t even bear the thought of him coming near me anymore. This obviously took its toll on our relationship.

I finally plucked up the courage to start seeking help for my lack of confidence and depression one year later. I spoke to my grandmother, as we’d always been very close and I knew she’d listen. She said she had noticed my unhappiness.

After speaking with her I had built enough courage to get this important issue sorted once and for all. I found a surgeon I felt comfortable talking to and we discussed the problems.

I was grateful that the surgeon went through everything about the labiaplasty in detail with me, explaining about pre-ops, the actual surgery and the expected end results.

Feeling confident about the information provided and the reassuring discussion with the surgeon, I booked and paid for what I needed upfront and there was nothing left but to wait until the surgery. I was so excited.

The day finally dawned and next thing, I was being prepared for the general anaesthetic. I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up in recovery! I immediately looked and cried tears of joy and happiness. I’d had a ‘Barbie’ style and could not have been happier.

Now, I am 9 days post-op and finally have the confidence and courage to show my fiancé the most intimate part of me. He is so proud of me and I am absolutely delighted at the results. The whole procedure only took 45 minutes!

Recovery is painful, but it’s worth every second. What really helped was having the full and complete support of my fiancé, Bill. Before the surgery, we talked in depth about the procedure and my feelings, and he reassured me that he didn’t care what I looked like. He loved me regardless.

Therefore, the labiaplasty surgery was carried out because I wanted it; I needed it. This was done for me, and only me. There’s just nothing worse than being repulsed by your own reflection.

Thankfully, I don’t have that problem anymore!

– Anonymous

In Conclusion

Labiaplasty is one of the fastest growing cosmetic surgeries worldwide. Close to 100,000 women in the United States opt for labiaplasty each year. In 2012 it was the 10th most popular cosmetic surgery. But is it right for you?

Whether or not you decide to go for labiaplasty will depend on your motivations for considering this procedure as well as your bank balance. Thorough research is required so you are adequately informed about every aspect of the procedure, and can decide with confidence whether you’d like surgical or non-surgical labiaplasty, another type of intimate surgery, or eventually decide upon no procedures at all.

Questions which you may find helpful to consider include:

• Being entirely honest with yourself, what are your reasons for considering labiaplasty?
• How will labiaplasty improve your life?
• Are you fully aware of what the surgery involves?
• If you decide to go ahead, do you have adequate budget or funding for the surgery?

Keeping the answers to these questions to the forefront of your mind will help you make the right decision for you when it comes to labiaplasty or another form of intimate surgery. Whatever you decide is the correct route for you, I wish you a long, blessed life filled with happiness, confidence and a fully satisfying sex life.

Further Reading 

Labiaplasty (vulval surgery) –  NHS website