Labiaplasty in Bellevue
Labiaplasty reduces and reshapes the labia for patients bothered by physical discomfort — chafing with exercise, irritation in fitted clothing — or by self-consciousness. Both are legitimate reasons, and neither requires justification here.
The tissue changes for ordinary reasons: pregnancy and childbirth, which alter labial tissue significantly for many women; aging; and simple congenital difference, since most people are not symmetrical and some are bothered by it and most are not.
Every step of the technique is sensation-preserving. The tissue involved is delicate and richly supplied with nerves, and protecting that supply is the first design constraint of the operation rather than a feature added afterward.
Consultations are private, unhurried, and handled with the discretion this decision deserves.
Your surgeon
Dr. Kristopher Day is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, and is fellowship-trained in craniofacial surgery.
Meet Dr. DayThe operation
Every consultation — and every operation — is with Dr. Day.
The procedure most patients mean is labia minora reduction: removing excess tissue and refining the edge so it no longer protrudes or chafes. The labia majora can be reduced or contoured in the same session, and a clitoral hood reduction (hoodectomy) is added where excess fold tissue is part of the concern.
Anesthesia is matched to scope — local with light sedation for many standalone cases, general when the procedure is combined with other surgery or when you would simply rather be asleep. Surgery runs one to two hours and you go home the same day.
Labiaplasty is frequently bundled into a mommy makeover, joining the abdominal and breast work in one session. Pregnancy changes more than the abdomen and breasts, and combining means one anesthetic and one recovery instead of two. It is handled with the same privacy as a standalone procedure, on the schedule and in the notes.
What is actually being reshaped
"Vaginal rejuvenation" is an umbrella term covering several distinct procedures. These are the ones performed here, and they are often combined.
Labia minora reduction
The most commonly requested: the inner labia are reduced and the edge refined so tissue no longer protrudes, chafes, or catches in clothing.
Labia majora reduction
Contouring or reducing the outer labia, addressed in the same session when fullness or laxity there is part of what bothers you.
Clitoral hood reduction
A hoodectomy, added when excess fold tissue is part of the concern. It is planned alongside a minora reduction so the two read as one balanced result rather than two separate corrections.
Vaginoplasty — a different operation
Tightening of the vaginal canal itself. It treats internal laxity, not external tissue, and it is not what this page describes. If that is your concern, say so at consultation and you will be pointed to the right conversation.
Is it right for you
Good candidates are healthy adults bothered by the size, shape, or asymmetry of their labia — physically, cosmetically, or both. Ideally future pregnancies are complete, since childbirth can alter the result.
Blood thinners, NSAIDs, and certain herbal supplements pause in the weeks before surgery, on a list the office gives you rather than one you assemble yourself; smoking stops at least four weeks before and stays stopped after.
Worth saying plainly: some asymmetry is normal, and the goal is not a matched pair to a millimetre. The goal is tissue that no longer bothers you. Patients who arrive with an image and a demand for an exact result are told honestly what surgery on tissue this delicate can and cannot promise.
This operation does not treat urinary leakage or internal laxity, and it is not a treatment for pain with a medical cause. Where a symptom points to something else, you will be told so rather than scheduled.
Recovery
Expect swelling and tenderness for the first days, managed with cold compresses, loose clothing, and positioning. The first week frequently looks swollen and uneven, and that is the swelling rather than the result — the shape underneath is not visible yet, and judging it early is the most common source of unnecessary worry.
Non-strenuous daily activities and desk work resume within one to two weeks.
Exercise and intercourse wait four to six weeks while the tissue fully heals. Swelling resolves progressively, with the final result at three to six months. Dr. Day's team is reachable directly through the early recovery period rather than through a call service.
How the weeks before and after surgery fit together is covered in the practice's recovery guide.
Questions, answered
The rest belong in a conversation. Consultations are unhurried by design.
Will labiaplasty affect sensation?
Preserving sensation is the operation's first design constraint, and the technique is built around protecting the relevant nerves. The goal is to reduce or eliminate discomfort while maintaining function — and for patients whose tissue was the source of discomfort, comfort during activity and intimacy is usually what improves. It is a topic to raise directly at consultation, and it will be answered directly.
What is the difference between labiaplasty and vaginoplasty?
Labiaplasty reshapes the external labia. Vaginoplasty tightens the vaginal canal itself — a different operation for a different concern, often laxity following childbirth. This page describes labiaplasty; the consultation clarifies which applies to your goals.
What will the first week look like?
Swollen, tender, and often noticeably uneven. All three are expected. Cold compresses, loose clothing, and staying off your feet more than usual are the whole protocol. The shape you are actually getting is not visible for weeks, and the final result settles over three to six months.
When can I exercise or have sex again?
Both wait four to six weeks. The tissue is healing under conditions — movement, friction, moisture — that punish an early return, and the four-to-six-week mark is about protecting the result rather than caution for its own sake.
What anesthesia is used?
Local anesthesia with light sedation serves many standalone cases; general anesthesia is used for combined procedures or by preference. The choice is made together at consultation, and preferring to be asleep is a sufficient reason.
Do I need to stop any medications first?
Blood thinners, NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, and several common herbal supplements affect bleeding and healing, so they pause before surgery. The office gives you the complete list at your pre-operative appointment; do not try to assemble it yourself from the internet.
Should I wait until I'm done having children?
Ideally, yes. Childbirth can alter labial tissue, so a result achieved beforehand may change. That said, it is a preference rather than a rule, and patients who have clear reasons to proceed sooner are not turned away without a conversation.
Can it be part of a mommy makeover?
Frequently — labiaplasty joins the abdominal and breast components in one session, one anesthesia, and one recovery, handled with full discretion.
How discreet is the process?
Fully. Consultations are private and unhurried, photographs are handled under strict consent controls, and the practice's small size means your care stays with the same few people throughout.
How much does labiaplasty cost?
Pricing depends on the scope — minora, majora, hoodectomy, or combinations — and is quoted individually in writing at consultation. CareCredit and Alphaeon financing are available.
Financing Options