In an article published in Aesthetic Surgery (March 2017), researchers Marika Tiggemann, PhD, Julie Mattiske, PhD, and Gemma Sharp conducted a retrospective study in which they examined the psychological outcomes of the increasingly popular labiaplasty procedure. Their goal was to examine the effect of the surgery on patients’ sexual satisfaction and psychological well-being, as well as to identify patient characteristics that may predict surgical satisfaction.
The study involved 48 Australian women (ages 19 to 60) who had undergone a labiaplasty during the period of February 1999 to October 2015. They completed an online questionnaire that rated their satisfaction with the labiaplasty, genital appearance satisfaction, sexual satisfaction and psychological well-being.
Their answers revealed that most of the women were very satisfied with their labial appearance and function after surgery. The subjects also reported statistically significant increases in their genital appearance satisfaction, sexual satisfaction and psychological well-being at the time of completing the questionnaire compared to their recalled levels prior to surgery. Undergoing labiaplasty to address physical or functional concerns as well as sexual concerns was associated with greater satisfaction with surgical outcomes. In contrast, experiencing post-surgery complications was related to lower satisfaction.