Julia shares the story of her surgery and results. We've edited her story. Have a story to share? Contact us!
My name is Julie and I’m no longer an outtie. There I said it!
I chose labiaplasty because I felt super uncomfortable in my swimsuit on my team. Before my surgery I’d be sore down there. And, I was pretty shy about how I looked too. When you are on the swim team there isn’t really any way to hide in the locker room. I wasn’t the only girl who had her inner lips showing a bit but mine were very visible.
I didn’t get teased by the other girls but I’d see them looking sometimes. And after practice or a meet I’d be sore there too which didn’t help.
When I had my physical for grade ten swim my doctor asked about my lips. They asked if I was ever feeling sore or having trouble. I was pretty nervous to admit I was but they told me right away that lots of girls have the same problem and I wasn’t the only one. I had to have a pelvic exam that day anyway so they were already checking down there. My doctor sat me up so I could see better and showed me kinda how they would be trimmed if I had that done.
They asked if I wanted to feel better during swim and I nodded. It was hard to talk about it!
After my physical they talked to mom about it some and she agreed it was best for me. I went home that day knowing I would be getting the surgery at some point but I didn’t know when.
The next day after practice mom picked me up and told me they had already called to book a date for it. I was going to have my labiaplasty in a week. I started to get super nervous knowing it was so soon. But, I was also sore having just come from practice so in a way I wanted it too.
Mom talked to my coach about it so I didn’t have to. He said I could have a couple weeks off practice to recover.
The day of my surgery I was very very nervous. I couldn’t eat breakfast and mom took me first thing in the morning. I had to get into a gown the same as if I was going to have a pelvic exam again. But I went into a different room than normal. They said it was the procedure room. When I got into the gown I felt down there again. I’d been feeling it a lot that week. It was different to know that part of me was going to be trimmed. I wanted to touch one last time incase it was super different after.
I lay down on the table and put my feet into the stirrups like normal. I had to have an IV but the doctor asked if I was scared of needles. I am! So he said that if I wanted I could breath gas for a little while and he would do the IV once I wasn’t scared anymore. I wanted it that way.
A couple minutes later he put the mask on me and told me to breath normally. He was asking some stuff about my team and my events. I think he was just trying to keep me from being nervous about going to sleep and the surgery. It was hard to answer because of the mask but I don’t think he really cared what I was saying anyway, he was just keeping me busy.
I remember feeling weird and thinking “its happening”. And then everything got fuzzy. I fell asleep.
It hurt when I wokeup. They have me some stuff for the pain and I was in a bandage.
I was still pretty loopy from the drugs that put me to sleep so they told mom about looking me. I wasn’t really paying attention at all.
When I got home I had a nap for a while to sleep off the sleep drugs.
I was really sore for a couple days. I didn’t want anything touch me there and I didn’t go to school either. Then it started to get better. Mom helped with bandages and washing me down there. I guess by day four I was doing all that myself. And I started wearing panties again too without being too sore.
Every chance I got I looked in the mirror. At first I was so swollen but when I started to heal that went away. I looked really different. My inner lips weren’t sticking out anymore. I was pretty gentle about touching.
I went for a checkup after two weeks and my doctor checked me. They explained I’d healed well and could go back to practice. They said because I was on swim and it had been bugging me a lot they did a complete trim so it wouldn’t be a problem again.
I didn’t try on a swimsuit until that first practice. I was surprised. I thought it would be the same just not sore. But it felt different. As soon as I pulled on the shoulder straps I felt it tight down between my legs but also weird. It felt like it was opening me up kinda. I looked and I had camel toe. I’d never had that before with my long lips. I pulled the suit out but walking to the pool it went back in again.
That was my first practice with camel toe like some of the other girls have. Its weird. But its better than being sore.
I got my period a few days later and I used pads some because I was a little nervous I’d be sore for tampons. Pads were so much better than they had been before. I didn’t feel so dirty or gross. Its like the pad was right against me and did its job way better.
I wear tampons mostly. Before I could hide the string inside me so no one knew I had one inside. But now that I’m trimmed I can’t hide the string. It always just hangs out between my legs.
Sometimes I still reach down to touch my lips like I used to, but they aren’t there anymore. I miss them. But I don’t miss it hurting.
I like how I look better now too and I’m not as shy getting changed.
I’d do it again because its better.
