What Is a 'Labia Puff' — and Why Are Women Getting It?

Women are getting filler injected into their labias for a “rejuvenated-looking vulva” in a trendy — and costly — procedure

Cavan Images/Getty; Inti St Clair/Getty (Left:) Stock image of a doctor with a syringe; (Right:) A woman wears a bikini.

Cavan Images/Getty; Inti St Clair/Getty

(Left:) Stock image of a doctor with a syringe; (Right:) A woman wears a bikini.

A trendy cosmetic surgery procedure promises to give women a more youthful look — on their vulvas.

Called a 'Labia Puff', the procedure injects fillers or fat into the labia majora, the outer lips of a woman’s genitals, to give it a fuller look. As Dr. Karen Leong, a plastic surgeon who offers the procedure explains, “a ‘labia puff’ can give you a younger, more rejuvenated-looking vulva. As collagen production slows down with age, it is possible for sagging and wrinkles to appear on our bodies, including the vulva area.”

But “while older women often want rejuvenation after childbirth or menopause,"  plastic surgeon Dr. Ira Savetsky told The New York Post, younger women "who have lost weight" are seeking the procedure as well, looking for "volume restoration."

“Some women feel that this change makes the area look aged or less aesthetically pleasing,” Savetsky added.

These fillers can carry a price tag of up to $5,000. But plastic surgeon Dr. Bianca Molina told the NYP, the procedure is “super hot right now.”

Getty Stock image of a doctor holding a tray of syringes.

Getty

Stock image of a doctor holding a tray of syringes.

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Reddit’s r/Menopause community sounded off on the procedure, with one Redditor saying, “I am on my 2nd UTI in six months and the whole mess down there is on fire. I cannot begin to think what filler in the flaps would feel like.”

“Normal aging will deflate the labia a little …  IT’S OK! No one cares,” wrote another Redditor. “The idea that women think they need filler to make their labia look better is ridiculous and a very sad statement about our culture.”

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But another Redditor said that it’s not about the appearance of your labia, but about physical comfort: “Things like sitting, walking, and sex were very painful. The filler made everything much better, and I do not have pain any longer. I think it’s a viable treatment for people who have similar issues.”

And as one Redditor pointed out, that the criticism is misogynistic: “Not sure why ppl are clutching their pearls over this when these micro [erectile dysfunction] guys out here jacking up their Johnsons with fillers for years. So sexist IMO.”

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