Is My Labia Normal

Is My Labia Normal
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Time to get extremely (like, EXTREMELY) intimate with your ~lady lips~.
Look at your vulva (seriously, do it) and the first, most obvious thing you'll see are you labia. Like everything else on your lil bod, they come in all shapes, colors, and sizes, and almost all of them are totally normal and healthy.
But, for some reason (unfair scrutiny on female bodies, unrealistic expectations of what your own anatomy should look like), the labia get a lot of undue scrutiny. What you need to know is that, unless yours are burning, itching, or have bumps on them, they're healthy and good. That said, Barbara Levy , MD, vice president of health policy with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists , talked with Cosmopolitan to shed some much needed light on a key part of your vulvar landscape.
The labia are the part of the vulva that some people call the "lips," because they kind of look like lips. There are two sets of labia: the larger, fleshier, pubic hair-covered labia majora on the outside; and the smaller, smooth labia minora tucked inside those . Both serve to protect the vagina, both get bigger during sex, and both can vary a lot in size from woman to woman.
A study from 2005 that measured different aspects of the female anatomy found that flaccid labia majora lengths vary from about seven to 12 centimeters, and labia minora length vary two to 10 centimeters . If women were like men who brag about penis size all the time, they'd talk endlessly about their long and elegant 10 cm labia. But women do not do that, because women are smart.
Basically, even if your labia fall outside of what studies have defined as the average range, they're totally fine unless they're causing you physical discomfort. Medical professionals refer to elongated labia as " labial hypertrophy ."
Nothing about your labia is an indicator of sexual history.
In some cases, this can cause dyspareunia , or pain associated with vaginal entry, and a cosmetic surgery called a labiaplasty may be recommended to help relieve pain and discomfort. A 2017 study (link NSFW) that examined patient files from 100 labiaplasties found that dyspareunia caused by labial hypertrophy is less dependent on size than on the location of hypertrophy—meaning labia should be operated on differently based on where the labia have become enlarged in order to best treat painful sex.
While labiaplasty can be a good option for women experiencing discomfort, Dr. Levy says that, in 31 years of practicing medicine on about 31,000 patients, she's only considered operating on three women who were experiencing physical discomfort due to elongated labia .
"As a women's activist and feminist, I avoid operating on women for purely cosmetic reasons unless I have a really compelling reason to do so," Dr. Levy says. "For women who really feel like their lips are getting in the way, I would say that's worth a conversation with a provider. But removal of any of that tissue is removing sexually functional tissue, and it's going to leave a scar that could potentially be painful and may be a long-term problem ."
And that garbage, locker room rum0r about longer labia, or a "big vagina," indicating you've had more sexual partners? That's completely and totally untrue. Nothing about your labia is an indicator of sexual history, unless they carry sores from a past sexually transmitted infection. And even then, many STIs can be contracted in ways that don't involve sex .
If you hold a mirror up to your vulva and meticulously study your labia (which, BTW, you should do), you'll see that both sides aren't exactly matching. "Just like our faces are asymmetrical, our breasts are asymmetrical, and our feet are asymmetrical, we've got one lip that's a little bigger than the other," Dr. Levy says.
There's nothing weird about having labia minora (inner lips) that are longer than your outer lips — a study from 2005 about female genital appearance found that about half of all women have inner lips that are a bit larger than their outer lips . Sort of like how some people have innie belly buttons, and other people have outies, but instead of your belly button, it's your vulva.
And Why They're The Color That They Are
Although the labia majora are just normal skin, they can vary in color from the rest of your body. They might be slightly purple, a little pink, or maybe sort of brownish. All totally normal. And like the inside of your mouth is not the same color as your face, the labia minora can also be a different color than the labia majora.
Just like our breasts are asymmetrical, our labia are asymmetrical.
The only time color can be a sign that something's wrong is if your labia are especially red and sore feeling— wearing clothes that are too tight or rub a lot can basically give you a vulva blister , the same way wearing a pair of tight shoes can give you a foot blister. If that's happening to you, consider switching so some baggier undies and pants (or skirts — feel the breeeeze) for a few days until the irritation goes away. Or give sleeping naked a try!
The labia majora are what you see when you look at a vulva, face on. The skin is basically the same skin as on the rest of your body, but with a bunch of pubic hair coming out of it (Charming!). Dr. Levy says you can treat that skin as you would any other skin, which means you can use moisturizer if it gets irritated . Just be wary of skin infections like you would anywhere else—especially if you're shaving or waxing .
Keep lotion and all scented products away from your inner lips.
If you get a skin infection on your outer lips, you can treat it as you would a skin infection on your arm. Just be careful, because you don't want to get any sort of lotions or ointments on your more sensitive labia minora. I REPEAT: NO LOTION ON YOUR LABIA MINORA. THEY DO NOT LIKE THAT.
Because vulvas are a rich tapestry, the texture of your labia can vary a lot . As Dr. Elizabeth Stewart explained to Women's Health , your labia (like your nipples) "contain small, bumpy-looking glands" that kind of look like tiny pimples or goosebumps . If you get a hand mirror and hold that up to your labia, you might also notice extra little folds of skin that look like tiny ruffles. Also totally OK and normal.
The only textures on your labia that should cause concern are cysts or new moles—call a doctor about those, no matter where on your body they are.
Shaving and waxing are really the biggest dramas that exist for the labia majora, which are otherwise healthy and normal and fine as long as you aren't the victim of a straddle injury , or experience repetitive pulling that Dr. Levy mentions above. And forget what you've read about whether you should or should not shave down there: Dr. Levy says that, despite the myth that shaving makes your vulva somehow cleaner, it doesn't . There's nothing wrong with removing your pubic hair, if that's what you're into, but pubic hair does serve a few handy purposes.
"There's actually a sexual function to the hair," Dr. Levy says. "The hair collects some of the fluid from the vagina and from the labia and that fluid has odors in it that are very attractive to other people." So go ahead and shave or wax to your heart's desire, but you might be shaving away some of your magical natural aura. And aside from that, your pubes protect your vagina from infection and, I don't know, dust storms? They protect it, is all.
For those who are worried their pube style isn't ~ en vogue ~, or that their ob-gyn is going to lecture them for shaving or something: Don't. " Our job is to be supportive and give education, so I would say that I want young girls and women to do what makes them feel most comfortable before themselves ," Dr. Levy says. "Not for their doctors, or for a boyfriend, or for some other girl, or because they saw something on the Internet that makes them more comfortable. It bothers me that there's one more thing for us to feel insecure about."
The labia minora, or the inner lips, do not grow hair and are a bit more sensitive.
"Think of the inner lips and the vagina like the inside of your mouth," Dr. Levy says. No, your labia don't have taste buds (CAN YOU IMAGINE), she means your inner labia has the same texture, basically, as the inside of your cheek. Unlike your mouth, though, the inner labia are lubricated and oily to protect your vagina from any weird invaders . And they become really swollen during sex — kind of like a boner, but for ladies. They also have way more nerve endings than the outer lips and connect to the top of the clitoris, so that's why it feels really good if you (or a partner) rub your inner lips, but rubbing your outer lips is like whatever.
Labia minora become swollen during sex, like a boner for ladies.
While moisturizing the outer lips is perfectly fine, Dr. Levy says you should avoid putting soap or any other scented product on your labia minora. S he adds that the number one one thing she sees people with irritated inner lips do is use too much soap .
"People are crazy clean, we think we smell bad or we're trying to clean up all the germs down there, which of course you can never do," Dr. Levy says. "That's the one habit I see in my practice that can cause people to be very irritated." Irritated labia are no fun, especially considering they play such a role in your sex life.
But in case your inner lips do get uncomfortable, Dr. Levy says she commonly recommends (bear with me here) Crisco for irritated inner lip s, or Aquaphor . Something mild and unscented, without petroleum in it, that will seal in your body's natural moisture. If you believe your inner lips are infected and they aren't getting better though, you should probably call a doctor.
Since the labia are made of skin, and skin changes as we age, the appearance of your labia changes too. Some women get labiaplasties to maintain their youthful vulvar appearance, but purely cosmetic surgery to your lady bits can leave unwanted consequences and those procedures aren't going to do anything to improve sexual function.
"Just like faces get droopier as people get older, the same thing happens to labia."
"Just like faces get narrower and a little bit droopier as people get older, the same thing happen to the labia," Dr. Levy said. "But, during sexual activity, they continue to engorge and function perfectly normally."
For a body part that can cause such emotional distress, your labia are pretty simple. And so long as they aren't causing physical discomfort, they're perfectly normal. The odds that you have labia that are abnormal are incredibly slim. " Anatomically problematic labia are very rare, far under one percent ," Dr. Levy says. They're just another body part! And all body parts look different from person to person.
Part of all the labia drama and mystique has to do with the fact that we just don't see as many vulvas out and about as we do penises. And Dr. Levy can back me up on this. " We don't parade around with our body parts like men do, so we're not aware of what everybody looks like ," she said. "But as a gynecologist, seeing 20 or 30 bottoms a day for 30 years, I can tell you that there's lots and lots of variations of normal."
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As women have become more empowered in taking control of their sexuality, this question arises frequently “behind closed doors” at AMAE Plastic Surgery and Med Spa in Birmingham, MI. If you have ever wondered if your labia (the “lips” of the vagina) look normal you’re definitely not alone.
The rise in curiosity about labia appearance has also been fueled by the number of women getting Brazilian waxes. So, when you remove the hair “down there” you and your partner become more aware of the appearance of an area previously hidden by hair.
But the question “is my labia normal?” is a complicated one to address, since there really is not a “standard” or “normal” labia. In fact – like snowflakes, fingerprints, and the irises in the eyes – no two labia are alike!
In this article the women’s sexual health experts at AMAE Plastic Surgery and Med Spa discuss the appearance of the labia – and explain the state-of-the-art treatments that are available for women who wish to enhance or adjust the size, shape or appearance “down there”.
For some women, concerns about their labia are purely cosmetic. They may have insecurities about the size of their labia – or dislike the appearance of a loose, distended or wrinkled labia. And this dissatisfaction can undermine their self-confidence in the bedroom.
For other women, labia concerns arise due to pain or discomfort that results from a large or distended labia. A labia that is “too long” can rub or get twisted in clothing, or chafes when riding a bike or exercising. A larger labia can also be visible in tight clothing such as leggings and even protrude from swimwear. In some cases a distended or even labia can also cause a woman to “pee sideways.”
Whatever the cause of a women’s labia concerns, a new clinical study recently investigated the many variations of female genitalia and reached the scientific conclusion that there is no such thing as a “normal vulva”.
The study was conducted by researchers at Lucerne Cantonal Hospital in Switzerland, assessing 657 Caucasian women between the age of 15 and 84 years old over a two year period. Extensive measurements were taken of the women’s genitalia as part of the study, including the length and width of the labia majora (outer folds or “wings”) and the labia minora (inner folds or “hood” of the clitoris).
The results revealed that measurements of the labia differ quite drastically between individuals.
Some labia minors measured only 2/10s of an inch (5 millimeters), while some were as long as 3.9 inches (100 millimeters) in length. And while the average length of the outer labia was found to be approximately 3 inches (80 millimeters), with the smallest labias measured less than ½ an inch (12 millimeters) and the largest was 7 inches (180 millimeters).
If your labia is causing pain or discomfort, or interfering with your daily life, it is important to talk to your gynecologist or a board certified plastic surgeon like Dr. Ali to determine if labiaplasty surgery (or non-surgical Viveve labia remodeling) is a good alternative for you. Labiaplasty is a safe and routine in-office surgical procedure – so no woman has to go through life living with vulvar pain. And Viveve minimally-invasive labia rejuvenation is also an excellent alternative for shortening and tightening the labia without surgery.
And, as a woman in control of her own sexuality, it is also your choice whether you want to enhance the appearance of your labia. Some labia are short, some are longer, and no two are alike. But what is aesthetically pleasing to you is 100% your choice. Every woman should feel empowered and confident in the bedroom. And, just as women enhance their breasts or enlarge their lips, the decision to enhance or reduce your labia is a private and personal decision that is up to you.
If you are suffering from the pain or discomfort of a large, distended labia, or you are dissatisfied or self-conscious about the appearance of your labia, schedule a discreet and confidential consultation at AMAE in Birmingham, MI and see if either of these life-changing treatments are right for your needs.
Thank you for visiting Dr. Ali’s Plastic Surgery & Med Spa Blog, where we keep you updated on the latest news, events, information & advancements.
Check back often to read about the latest techniques and state-of-the-art technologies in cosmetic surgery, anti-aging, body sculpting and aesthetic treatments.
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Dangly or tightly tucked, wrinkled or smooth, thick or thin- our labia (or vaginal lips!) come in all different shapes and sizes. And like any of our beautiful body parts, the way our inner and outer labia looks and feels is all part of our genetic makeup. The question of `is my labia normal? ` isn’t one we’d expect you to feel comfortable asking though, or even Googling! That’s why we’ve created this guide to different types of labia.
Some women think most vaginas look a certain way- and this is not true at all. Just like the way in which the size, shape or girth of men’s private parts vary, so do women’s! The most common differences in the labia are the shape and size, however the thickness and colour of them varies too.
Here are the 8 most common types of labia:
Some women are conscious of their vaginal lips being different lengths. One may be tucked tightly towards the vagina, while the other hangs down a little. Just like eyebrows, some labias thrive best as sisters and not twins!
Other women have curved vaginal lips, best described as a `flower`. Pretty as these labias may be, you might feel conscious that your vagina looks too wide, and prefer a slightly slinkier version.
Sometimes the inner lips of the labia hang below the outer
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Is My Labia Normal

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