Can Labiaplasty Improve Your Sex Life?

With the miracle of modern medicine and technology, the field of plastic surgery has blossomed to include safe and effective procedures all over the body. While breast augmentation, nose jobs, and butt lifts often grace magazine covers, plastic surgery on the genitalia remains a taboo topic. However, procedures such as labiaplasty can in fact be life-changing for many women who live with constant discomfort or embarrassment from enlarged labia. This blog post will explain this procedure in more detail as well as discuss the effects of labiaplasty on sexual function to answer the common question, “Can labiaplasty improve your sex life?”

The first step in any cosmetic surgical procedure is to choose a board-certified plastic surgeon who you trust to take great care of you before, during, and after your surgery. Dr. Traci Temmen has the highest level of training in her field and is experienced in the field of female genital surgery including labiaplasty. Furthermore, as a woman herself, Dr. Temmen understands the worries and concerns of her female patients and makes every effort to ensure every woman feels comfortable and cared for throughout their surgical experience. Once you have selected a surgeon and had a detailed in-person consultation to discuss your goals, it is time for surgery! This procedure usually takes only about one hour, but of course can vary depending on the individual patient. Before surgery, the patient receives local anesthesia and may be offered anti-anxiety medication to help her feel more relaxed, but remains awake and breathing on her own. During the procedure, Dr. Temmen carefully removes unwanted excess tissue from the labia. During this process she pays special attention to orient the incisions away from the vaginal opening. This precise scar placement ensures optimal patient comfort in the future during physical activity or sexual intercourse that might otherwise irritate the area. After surgery, patients are pleased that they are able to return home the same day and may return to work the next day. During recovery, they are able to resume light exercise in three weeks and sexual activity in six weeks.

Now that we have discussed labiaplasty, let’s go over how this procedure can affect (and maybe even improve!) sexual function. First, an anatomy lesson. Sexual sensation and function is supplied by nerves, most importantly the pudendal nerve. This nerve lies deep in the pelvis, sending small branches up to the surface to innervate the external genitalia. During a labiaplasty, only the most superficial tissue is operated on, leaving the deeper structures untouched. Therefore, injury to the deep nerves supplying this region would be extremely unlikely. Not only does labiaplasty preserve these important nerves, in fact many women report that labiaplasty actually improves their sex lives! This is accomplished through a few different ways. Firstly, many of the women seeking labiaplasty do so at least partially because their labia have enlarged to a point where they cause pain during exercise, rubbing against clothing, and during sexual activity. Reducing the size of the labia through labiaplasty eliminates this issue and helps women engage in these activities pain-free, increasing sexual enjoyment. The second part of this is as a woman experiences discomfort or pain with intercourse over a long time period, she may start to develop a negative association with sex that decreases her libido as well. Fixing the root of this problem can help women reclaim their sexual identity, with many women experiencing a newfound sex drive and increased desire. Finally, another common reason many women pursue labiaplasties is due to a feeling of embarrassment over the appearance of labia that they feel look engorged, elongated, or asymmetrical. Correcting this through plastic surgery can help women feel confident and sexy in the bedroom again.

Labiaplasty may seem like a scary option to some, but in reality it is a very safe and effective way to decrease the size of enlarged labia that cause pain, discomfort, or embarrassment for many women. This can have a positive impact on self-esteem, sexual function, and overall quality of life – all accomplished through a procedure done under local anesthesia in the time it would take you to take your lunch break! If you’re reading this blog post thinking this sounds like you, this is your chance to finally make a change and reach out to a board-certified plastic surgeon who is experienced in this specialized and sensitive procedure. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call 813-771-6393 to schedule your one-on-one consultation with Dr. Traci Temmen, MD today!