Blog
Dr. Brooke R. Seckel
At Boston Plastic Surgery Specialists we use the laser to perform Labiaplasty or Labioplasty for our Boston patients. The laser is a much gentler method for removing excess labial tissue than traditional surgical methods.
Labiaplasty or Labioplasty is a plastic surgery procedure done to reduce the size of the Labia Minora, the thin vaginal lips between the fuller, thicker Labia Majora. Many patients choose to have this procedure to improve the cosmetic appearance of the labia. Other patients have Labiaplasty to reduce irritation of the labia caused by tight clothing chaffing the long labial tissue.
Traditional older labiaplasty involves clamping the base of the excess labial tissue with a surgical clamp, cutting the excess away and suturing the tissue once the clamp is released.
One problem with this method is that the surgical clamp crushes the delicate labial tissue which is left behind when the suturing is done. Crushed or damaged tissue interferes with and delays healing. Crushed tissue can also increase scarring.
During Laser Labiaplasty the delicate labial tissue is not clamped with a surgical clamp thus there is no crush injury to the labial tissue left behind.
After surgical marking of the excess labia to be removed the tissue is grasped with a forceps and the laser incision with the CO2 laser is used to remove the excess tissue. Following removal of excess tissue, the wound is then closed with dissolving sutures.
This method produces excellent Labiaplasty results.
Because the Laser Labiaplasty incision seals and closes blood vessels as the incision is made there is minimal to no surgical bleeding. Thus with Laser Labiaplasty, blood vessels are closed without the need for surgical clamping.
Surgical wounds heal better when there is less tissue trauma. Crushing labial tissue with a surgical clamp leaves damaged tissue behind which slows the healing process. Avoiding the surgical clamp during Laser Labiaplasty leaves healthier less traumatized tissue behind which speeds and improves healing.
Studies have shown that laser surgical incisions heal with less inflammation than traditional scalpel incisions. Less inflammation during healing can also lessen scarring.
The Labia Minora are one of the most delicate and sensitive tissues in the body and deserve to be treated with the most gentle surgical technique. The Laser Labiaplasty avoids the crushing injury caused by the clamping technique and is my preferred method for my Boston Labiaplasty patients.
