Personal Experience of Irene's Labiaplasty Treatment

Irene kept a diary about her experience with a labiaplasty at SkinSurgery. She is happy to share why she chose this procedure and what the recovery has been like for her. However, everyone is unique and experiences the procedure differently, Irene's story is an example of what the recovery can be like. We cannot predict exactly how you will experience a possible labia correction or labia correction in advance. Therefore, always get well informed during a personal consultation, so that you can ask your questions and make a well-considered choice.

The older I got, the more I felt like I couldn't be myself in my own body. I wanted to be proud of my body and be naked without shame, but I always felt inhibited in this. My inner labia stuck out about 2cm. I made sure that no one would see this. For example, when friends went to the sauna for a weekend, I always made up excuses, and I tried to avoid sex with the lights on as much as possible. But even when I was wearing a bikini, I was always concerned that people couldn't see my labia and made sure that I always tucked them in.

In my mind it became a bigger and bigger obstacle and with that the dissatisfaction with my body grew. I had a huge need to be 'free' and do what I wanted instead of having to hide all the time.

For years I tried to ignore the feeling, because I thought I should be happy with the body I had. Until I suddenly wondered why I was so strict with myself. Why didn't I just accept that this was something I would never be happy with instead of forcing myself to be happy with it. When I had figured this out I didn't have to think long and I started looking for a good clinic that could inform me about this. After searching and comparing on the internet I decided to make an appointment for a consultation at SkinSurgery Clinics. The reviews showed that they scored highly professionally and the personal approach really appealed to me.

I left my phone number on the website so that I would be called. This happened a day later and the date for the consultation was set. During the consultation I was informed about the procedure in a friendly and informal way and I could ask questions. I was given a mirror and could watch the surgeon. She explained which treatment she would recommend and what the result would be. We decided that a Labia correction including V lift het mooiste resultaat zou geven. De chirurg (Dr. Thanya Tha-In) gaf hierbij aan dat het herstel hiervan wel langer zou duren. Hierna kon ik bij de balie een afspraak maken voor de behandeling, welke na vier weken al plaats kon vinden.

In preparation, you will receive an email stating that you need to have a few things at home, such as an ice pack, sanitary towels and paracetamol. I bought a normal ice pack and a gel eye mask that you can put in the freezer and that fits well in your underwear. I also had panty liners instead of sanitary towels, because they are smaller and fit better. I also recommend everyone to buy corrective underwear (without legs). I wore these every day for the first three weeks, because they stay in place and therefore put as little strain on the wound as possible (read: less pain). I also made sure that I had enough easy and healthy food at home, I mainly made quick wok meals the first week, so that I didn't have to stand for too long. Also make sure you have nice wide training pants and a nice spot on your couch, because you will spend a lot of time here during the first week. I took two weeks off work. I thought one week would be enough, but in retrospect I was glad I had taken two weeks off because I couldn't sit on a chair until the weekend before I had to start work again.

The day of treatment

A friend brought me to the clinic on the day of the treatment. An hour before the treatment, I took two paracetamol at home, as prescribed. After arriving at the clinic, I was given a tube of anesthetic ointment that I had to apply to my pubic area. The ointment initially gives a burning and tingling sensation, but this quickly disappears. After the ointment had been absorbed, I was collected from the waiting room and allowed to enter the treatment room. The entire treatment was discussed with me again and I was told that I had to assume that the first 10 days would be tough. I was allowed to ask questions and when everything was clear, I was allowed to take a seat on the treatment table. I was quite nervous, but Dr. Thanya and her friendly colleague reassured me and chatted to me, which distracted me a bit.

The anaesthetic pricks are not pleasant, but fortunately they are quick. After the anaesthetic is placed, the procedure actually starts immediately. Of course, you will not feel any pain during the procedure, but you will feel, for instance, that sutures are being applied. You also smell the cauterisation of the blood vessels. The procedure took about half an hour and when it was finished I had to be cooled with an ice pack. After this, I was allowed off the treatment table again and could dress myself. I was glad I had brought my corrective underwear with me because this gave me strength and counter pressure right from the start. The wound was already swollen. The anaesthesia lasts for about an hour after the treatment, so the journey home was manageable.

I wanted to keep a close eye on the recovery, so I took a picture every day and wrote down how it went. You can read back my experiences of the first two weeks below. Labiaplasty within the website.

Day 1 to 3

The wound is very painful, the inner and outer labia are very swollen, causing the stitches to be tight. This makes it painful to move; walking is very careful with my legs wide apart, sitting is not possible so I lean back on the couch. Every hour I have to cool the wound, in between I wear my corrective underwear with a panty liner in it and a rolled up towel between my legs that presses against the wound. By fastening my feet over each other, this provides sufficient pressure. Cooling the wound is very painful, it gives a burning and sore feeling and when I remove the ice pack, the gauze sticks to the wound. Pulling off this gauze is not pleasant. The bleeding is gradually decreasing but the swelling remains the same. I pee in the shower so that I can rinse it very carefully with a soft stream. Sleeping is a challenge because I cannot put my legs together, because that puts too much pressure on the wound. That is why I sleep on my back and I have placed a large pillow under the backs of my knees. I still have the rolled up towel between my legs to provide counter pressure.

Day 4 to 6

In principle, you only need to cool the wound for 48 hours, but I did this every morning after getting up the first week because the wound was always a lot thicker. The bleeding has almost stopped. Changing the sanitary towel is still painful because it also sticks to the wound. Because I wanted advice about cooling the wound, I called the clinic. I was told that cooling is no longer necessary, but it is allowed if it gives me pain relief. As a tip, I was told that it is useful to put a loose sanitary towel in your underwear (so not stick it) and if the sanitary towel is stuck to the wound when changing it, rinse it off in the shower. This makes it less painful. Walking normally is still not possible, and sitting is also not possible. My outer labia are blue, swollen and still feel sore. The inner labia are quite swollen, they seem more swollen than the days before. I do see that the swelling is reduced by giving rather than counter pressure with the towel. I still can't put my legs together because the pressure on the wound is too painful.

Day 7 to 10

The swelling is going down a bit more and this is reducing the pressure on the wound. I can finally move more freely. Walking is going a bit better but still not completely normal. I have tried to sit up. I can do this very carefully on the couch but not on a hard chair. I am trying to walk more and more short distances because I notice that my body is getting very stiff because I move so little. I no longer sleep on my back but now have a pillow between my knees so that I can sleep on my side. Because I have trouble at night with the panty liner rubbing against the wound when I turn over, I have tried to sleep without panties. This went well as I make sure that nothing touches the wound.

Day 11 to 14

I walked a bit outside, which I managed to do normally. I do feel the wound when I walk, but it is doable. My inner and outer labia are a lot less swollen, only the part of the V lift remains thick and sensitive for longer. I cannot touch my inner labia yet because it is too painful. Every now and then it still bleeds. When I shower, I gently pat the wounds dry. I had the check-up appointment on the 12th day. Fortunately, everything looked good. The stitches are still in place, but they will dissolve by themselves. I wore normal underwear for the first time, but it was not very comfortable. The corrective underwear provides good support and because it is tight, it ensures that no fabric rubs against the wound.

Only after 2 weeks I could carefully sit on a chair again. I walked around in sweatpants or sports leggings every day. After 20 days I put on jeans, but this did not feel nice because the hard material rubbed against the wound. The next day everything was a bit swollen again, so I went back to my sports leggings.

After two weeks

The treatment was three weeks ago now. I still wear as few tight-fitting trousers as possible. I can very carefully sit with my legs crossed. The wound is still swollen and painful at the part where the V-lift was performed. It also occasionally bleeds a little here. My outer labia have almost completely shrunk, but my inner labia are still sensitive and partly swollen. I have contacted Dr. Thanya about this and she has indicated that this is completely normal and that everything will only be fully healed after six weeks. So I still have to be patient to see what the end result will look like, but I am certainly satisfied with how it looks now.
Are you considering this treatment? These are my tips!

After the treatment you will receive a number of gauze pads. These were finished after a few days. I therefore used a t-shirt to put on the ice pack and towel. I had bought gauze pads myself but they were coarse in structure and the t-shirt was made of a fine soft material, which made it less painful to hold against the wound.

The first few days, moving is very painful. Because of this, I tried to avoid sitting and standing up as much as possible. I therefore made sure that I had everything within reach. For example, I put two cups of tea on a table nearby. On the couch next to me was the paracetamol, my phone charger and magazine, the remote control of the TV and a bottle of water. That way I knew for sure that I did not have to get up from the couch between cooling.

Because I couldn't move well the first few days and had to adopt a different position than normal, I started to have a lot of back pain after a few days. Therefore, try to stretch a little in between (for example when you walk to the fridge for your ice pack) so that you remain somewhat flexible.

The first week (and the second week with pain and difficulty) I could not sit and was therefore glad that I had no appointments planned. Take the first week especially the time to recover quietly and be patient.

If you have any questions during recovery, do not hesitate to contact SkinSurgery Clincs. I have also called the clinic a few times in between and have been helped very friendly every time.

Would you like more information about labiaplasty after reading Irene's story? We have already collected a lot of information for you on the website. Would you prefer direct personal advice? Request a free quote no-obligation consultation to see what we can do for you.