His and Her Health

This is so personal. My labia have become ugly, stretched out flabs of skin. Not only is it emabarassing because I feel it shows when I wear a bathing suit, but it is uncomfortable as it's always rubbing against my clothing (not in a good way.) My sweet husband says it doesn't bother him, but it bothers me. Often it gets in the way of intercourse. I have spoken to two gynocologists about labial reduction but both said it's not a big deal to have this extra skin and talked me out of pursuing it further due to pain and risk of infection associated with this surgery. Is this something I just have to deal with forever? Did it get this way because of childbirth? Thoughts? Opinions?

Here is a link to an article by Dr. Andrew Goldstein, Medical Director of our website www.ourgyn.com
The link to his article is here http://www.ourgyn.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=77

If you are considering this surgery, it’s always wise to ask the surgeon some basic questions including:

- How long have they been performing these surgeries?
- How many procedures have they done?
- How often do they perform the surgery?
- Where will the Labiaplasty procedure be performed?
- Are my expectations achievable or realistic?
- If I’m not happy with the result, can it be fixed, and who pays for the revision?

The procedure (labiaplasty) is common today and is usually done in women who are either experiencing sexual dysfunction, embarrassment or pain because of their labia. There are risks involved with this surgery - most common are bleeding, infection, asymmetry and scarring. These events are usually infrequent, however, sometimes they do occur, so they should be discussed with the surgeon. My suggestion would be to look for a good doctor who specializes in Feminine Genital Cosmetic Surgery, and make sure that they have high professional qualifications and credentials in performing this procedure, should you decide to have the surgery. Most often, labiaplasty is being done for two reasons...medical...and aesthetic. Certainly, if the surgery goes well, the aesthetic appearance will improve. Hope this information helps. Thanks for logging onto our board, and please let me know how you are doing.