Should I Remove My Labiaplasty Sutures?
Recovery following a procedure like labiaplasty can lead to a variety of questions. Many patients wonder what is considered normal in regards to healing. To help prepare you for the recovery process, Dr. Steven Yarinsky provides post-operative care instructions to ensure you heal properly. He also encourages you to ask any questions you may have so he can help you understand what to expect. Among the many concerns with which he has helped patients, Dr. Yarinsky recently responded to a woman who was asking a question in the online medical forum RealSelf. The individual posted, “I see a suture two weeks after labiaplasty. Should I remove it myself?”
In his response, Dr. Yarinsky revealed that despite the kind of labiaplasty performed, the sutures are usually absorbable (dissolve on their own) and must remain for the first month or two to provide support. He explained that the patient’s surgeon should provide her with follow-up care and can assist her with suture removal when it is appropriate.
He went on to say that wedge resection labiaplasty sutures dissolve slowly and are mostly internal. Dr. Yarinsky warned the woman that she is stronger than the healing wound at two weeks postop – if she were to remove the sutures, she could accidentally tear the wound open. That is why Dr. Yarinsky insisted the woman see her plastic surgeon for advice and treatment, and added “please don’t remove your own sutures, especially after only two weeks!”
For patients at Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, Dr. Yarinsky personally removes labiaplasty sutures if they have not dissolved by four to six weeks postop.