Labiaplasty recovery, week by week

Labiaplasty reduces or reshapes the labia minora, and occasionally the labia majora. It is a permanent surgical change to genital tissue. The recovery is not long compared with other procedures, but it is a part of the body you cannot rest completely, so knowing the timeline helps.

The ranges below are typical. Your surgeon's instructions override anything here, and individual recovery varies considerably.

Surgical warning: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.

Before you book

There is a wide normal range in labial size, shape, colour and asymmetry, and most people who ask about this procedure are anatomically normal. That is worth hearing plainly. Where the concern is functional - catching, chafing, discomfort with exercise, cycling or intercourse - surgery addresses a real problem. Where it is purely about appearance, it is still your decision, but it should be an informed one made without pressure.

Since 1 July 2023, cosmetic surgery in Australia requires a GP referral, screening for underlying psychological conditions, at least two consultations before booking, and a cooling-off period of at least seven days for adults. For anyone under 18, three months and an independent psychological assessment are mandatory. Note also that Australian classification rules mean the images you may have seen in media are often digitally altered, which distorts many people's sense of what is normal.

Day 0 to day 3

Usually a day procedure under local anaesthetic with sedation, or general anaesthetic. You will need an adult to drive you home and stay the first night.

Expect marked swelling - the area supplies itself generously with blood, and swelling at this stage often looks alarming and asymmetric. This is normal and not a guide to your result. Expect soreness, stinging on passing urine, and some blood-tinged discharge.

What helps:

• Cold packs over underwear, 10-15 minutes at a time, in the first 48 hours
• Rest lying down rather than sitting upright
• Loose cotton underwear and loose clothing
• Rinsing with warm water while passing urine, then patting dry
• Pain relief as prescribed; ask before taking anti-inflammatories
• Short, gentle walks from day one to reduce clot risk

Week one

Swelling peaks in the first two to three days and then begins to reduce. Itching as healing starts is common and normal. Keep the area clean and dry - shower rather than bathe, no swimming, no spas, no tampons. Sanitary pads, changed frequently, rather than anything internal.

Most people take about a week off. Sitting for long periods is the uncomfortable part, so a desk job may need a cushion and frequent breaks. No exercise beyond walking.

Weeks two to three

The bulk of the swelling settles. Tenderness continues but eases. Dissolvable sutures typically begin to break down and separate somewhere between week two and week four - finding small fragments is expected and does not mean something has gone wrong.

Many people return to non-strenuous work in the second week. Still no cycling, riding, gym, running or swimming.

Weeks four to six

Most normal activity resumes as your surgeon allows. The tissue still feels firm in places as scar tissue matures. Exercise is usually reintroduced gradually around this point.

Intercourse and tampons wait until your surgeon confirms the tissue has healed - usually six weeks. Going earlier risks the wound separating. When you do resume, expect it to feel different at first; going slowly and using lubrication helps.

Three months to a year

Residual swelling continues to resolve, and firmness softens gradually. Scars are thin and sit within the natural folds, but they are permanent. Sensation can be altered for some months, and occasionally longer. Your final appearance is best judged at around six months, not at six weeks.

Risks to understand beforehand

Bleeding, haematoma, infection, wound separation, asymmetry, over-resection (removing too much, which is difficult to correct), under-correction, painful or thickened scarring, altered or reduced sensation, and dissatisfaction with appearance. Revision is possible for some of these and not for others - ask specifically what can and cannot be corrected, and what it would cost.

When to contact the clinic

Call promptly for fever, increasing rather than decreasing pain after day three, spreading redness, heavy bleeding, discharge with an odour, difficulty passing urine, or a wound edge that opens.

Call 000 for chest pain, shortness of breath, or calf pain with swelling.

At Me Clinic

Consultations and procedures take place at 4 Burke Road, Malvern East VIC 3145, in a private setting. Aftercare is included and with the practitioner who operated. Phone 1300 852 050 or (03) 9569 3511. Specialist Plastic Surgeon consultation $350, including GST, as at September 2024.

Related: labiaplasty, risks and complications, deciding not to proceed.

Individual results may vary. Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.