Dr Novikova performs labiaplasty procedures under local anaesthesia in the procedure room in Cape Town or Johannesburg. You will be instructed to apply a special anaesthetic cream to numb the skin over the area and take a tablet that will allow you to relax before the procedure. She will inject a local anaesthetic into the area to remove any discomfort during the procedure.
Labiaplasty can be done in many different ways. Common types of procedure are trim or curvilinear technique (or trim technique or “barbie” labiaplasty), V- labiaplasty or central wedge resection and de-epithelization techniques.
Trim or curvilinear labiaplasty is when the edges of the labia minora are removed. This technique reduces the size of the labia minora. Because the end of the labia minora is excised, the area loses its natural look. Women who choose the trim technique usually desire to have the darkened skin of labia minora to be removed. The lips will look pink with this technique.
V-wedge labiaplasty is done when the V-shape area is cut off in the middle of the lips, and they are re-shaped with sutures. Although the edges have a natural look, as they are not cut off, there will be a tiny scar in the middle of the area which is not visible once you heal.
It’s common for the clitoris to look bigger once the lips are reduced in size because of its proportional size. In such cases (which is 90% of labiaplasties in this practice) Dr Novikova will perform the clitoral hood reduction at the time of labiaplasty.
At times, women choose to remove excess skin of the labia major (or outer lips) or have fat-filling or hyaluronic acid fillers injected into the outer lips to improve the look. All of these procedures can be performed at the time of the labiaplasty.
Dr Novikova uses a diathermy or laser beam to perform the labiaplasty. She will use dissolvable sutures during labiaplasty that are hidden under the skin and choose the technique of labiaplasty based on the patient’s preference and the final look they desire. Your anatomy and expectations are discussed in detail and you will study before and after photos of Dr Novikova’s cases to decide on your preferred technique of labiaplasty.