A saggy labia and looser-feeling vagina means that your connective tissue – collagen – has been stretched or degraded. This alteration or degradation occurs most often with childbirth, but is also a natural part of ageing. You see it in your face and body, and your vagina and vulva is no different.
Lax labial tissue may be more obvious than a loose vagina, but it could be the other way around depending on what your pelvis has been through.
Some women may have longer, dangling inner labia compared with others, which, while perfectly normal, is a cause for concern in some. Long, luxurious labia may be hard to contain in underwear or a bathing suit. Some women even complain of sitting on their labia.
Our new obsession with the look of the bare vulva (thanks Brazilian waxes!) may mean that as we age and have babies, our former glory may look and feel a little looser.
There are two elements to this puzzle, and they are quite different in nature. That is, understanding and attempting to modify the structure and function of the vagina compared to the structure and function of the labia and vulva.
Treatment options for saggy or droopy labia
The first suggestion is to learn to love your beautiful labia instead of wishing them away. Your inner labia are one of the most densely connected parts of your body in terms of blood vessels and nerve endings. What a fantastic piece of sexual anatomy!
Or, you can have your labia cosmetically modified to your tastes. A visit with a specialist cosmetic dermatologist, gynaecologist or surgeon will provide you with your options. There are several options to choose from, and what is appropriate for you will depend on your circumstances.
Radiofrequency (RF) treatments for labia
Radiofrequency waves stimulate cells to produce collagen and elastin, which creates stronger, more toned tissue. The effect is temporary, but you’re looking at about six months to a year between treatments, rather than weeks, for modifying the appearance of the labia.
Collagen takes a while to build up, over weeks and months, as it is a natural process in this case stimulated by outside forces.
RF treatments can be applied to the vulva to improve tissue performance and tighten up the labia somewhat. It isn’t going to work miracles, but it can offer a boost – each of you will respond differently.
The older you are, the less collagen you produce overall, so these treatments offer less tightening of tissue as you age.
RF treatments are surgery-free, performed as a short clinic visit. Your practitioner will wave the magic wand over your treatment areas, and then you just have to wait and see what it does over the coming months.
The lift may be minor, and not worth your while, but speak to the expert on hand and ask what their experiences have been.
The first device designed for this express purpose is called the Mona Lisa, but there are many others now appearing on the market, including the ThermiVa.
Surgery to trim labia
Surgical options do exist for giving your labia a ‘lift’, which is a form of labiaplasty. Speak to your local cosmetic or gynaecological surgeon, one who specialises in this type of surgery, and ask about your options.
Remember that every surgery comes with risks, and it’s not a bad idea to check out the horror stories of those who have come before you! Bad things can happen when you put a scalpel to flesh, including permanent nerve damage and constant pain. Do not let an amateur near your labia.
You could also have life-changing surgery and love your new look, with no adverse outcomes. Just be aware of what can go wrong and be sure to be extremely fussy about your surgeon.
Treating lax vaginal tissue
A ‘loose’ vagina is caused by a weakening of the dense fibres that make up the wall of your vagina and pelvic floor muscles.
The walls of your vagina are muscular, but the tightness or looseness of your vagina is dictated largely by how strong your pelvic floor muscles are. Treatment is going to come, in part, from proper pelvic floor exercises. This doesn’t just mean your Kegel’s, but that does help.
Satisfying sex is in part down to friction, which means lax vaginal tissue and poorly toned pelvic floor muscles can impact on your sexual pleasure and orgasm.
Improving the state of your vagina can be life-changing, since women suffer in silence so often. It is only recently that we’ve got high-tech options as game-changers. While they don’t work that well in some people, in others, the change can be profound.
Pelvic physiotherapy, exercises, and breathing
You may want to see a specialist pelvic physiotherapist for advice on posture, the way you use your body, and just where your vagina is at.
The way you breathe affects your pelvic floor, since your lung diaphragm and your pelvic floor (also called the pelvic diaphragm) work in concert when they are working properly.
If you sit down all day, are a shallow breather, smoke, or have poor posture, your diaphragms can get out of sync, causing not only poor pelvic floor muscle tone, but other issues like vaginal pain and vulvodynia.
The negative outcomes of our bad breathing techniques cannot be underestimated, so check it out if you have pelvic floor laxity. If you don’t know how to breathe into your belly, look it up. It’s worth doing properly, for a thousand reasons.
Radiofrequency, infrared and laser treatments for a lax vagina
These high-tech treatments work the same all over your body, and are only really demonstrably useful in the vagina for treating stress urinary incontinence and the dry, irritated vagina associated with menopause.
These treatments can work small miracles for vaginal laxity, but keep in mind that the devices can only get so far into your tissue and cannot affect the pelvic floor.
Regular radiofrequency, infrared and/or laser treatments vary in their impact, and each of you will be a bit different. It’s not a magic bullet, but these treatments are a step in the right direction for vaginal problems that have so far had no solutions at all.
There is renewed interest in the vagina and women’s sexual satisfaction, with these new tools available and certainly doing interesting things.
Radiofrequency and infrared go deeper than laser as the waves can penetrate further, with laser working on the outermost layers. A combination of both can work very well.
There are specialist device handpieces for the job, with devices that are used traditionally in cosmetic and regular dermatologist offices for skin complaints. These are non-surgical treatments but do require insertion of the device. It doesn’t hurt and is quick.
Pelvic surgery
You can also see a specialist surgeon for more advanced cases, where a restructuring of tissue may be in order. Surgery is only recommended in cases where pelvic function is severely upended, as it can be quite extensive and invasive.
What to do next
If you are having issues, no matter how mild, see your healthcare provider. There are ways to address these annoying/debilitating problems, even in part, using non-invasive high-tech solutions or surgery.
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