The first few days
You'll be swollen and sore, and peeing and sitting can sting. Take the painkillers you're given as the clinic tells you. Rest as much as you can, and wear loose cotton underwear and loose trousers or a skirt so nothing rubs.
Week one
Keep the area clean: rinse with plain warm water and pat it dry, with no soaps or scented products. Showers are fine; ask your surgeon when you can have a bath or swim. The swelling often looks uneven at first, one side more than the other, and this settles. Most people with a desk job go back after about a week, sooner after a small local-anaesthetic operation.
Week two
The soreness and bruising are mostly gone by the end of the second week. The dissolving stitches start to go by themselves. If your work is physical or you're on your feet all day, take up to two weeks off.
Weeks three to six
Walking is good from the start, but leave the gym, running, cycling and horse riding until four to six weeks, and only when nothing hurts. Sex waits at least four weeks, often six; go gently the first time. Use pads, not tampons, for the first few periods.
Two months and beyond
The skin takes a couple of months to heal fully, and the final shape settles over a few months as the last of the swelling goes. The edges soften and the scar line fades. Numbness or extra sensitivity can take months to settle.
Ring the clinic if
- swelling suddenly gets much worse on one side, or a firm, painful lump appears
- a wound opens, smells or leaks pus
- you have a temperature or feel unwell
- you can't pee
- a calf is painful, swollen or warm, or you're short of breath (go to an emergency department for breathlessness)
Travel
Sitting is uncomfortable for the first days, so plan a long car trip home: a passenger seat, a soft cushion and stops. On any trip of three hours or more after an operation, the HSE advises loose clothes, getting out to walk and calf exercises, because sitting still raises the risk of a clot.
Questions people ask
How long off work after labiaplasty?
About a week for a desk job, up to two weeks for physical work.
When can I have sex after labiaplasty?
After at least four weeks, often six, once nothing is sore. Go gently the first time.
Can I use tampons after labiaplasty?
Use pads, not tampons, for the first few periods.
When can I cycle or go to the gym?
After four to six weeks, and only when nothing hurts. Walking is fine from the start.