A New Concept for Central Wedge Resection in Labiaplasty

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to develop a new concept for central wedge resection to improve surgical results. Currently, the most common postoperative complications of the regular central wedge (RV) resection technique are wound dehiscence and scar contracture. METHODS: A case-control study was applied to randomly divide 119 patients with labia minora hypertrophy deformities into 2 groups: new central wedge (NV) (n = 57) and RV (n = 62). All patients underwent the corresponding corrective surgery to repair the deformity. During the NV procedure, we changed the direction of the scalpel to form 2 inclined sections and sutured these sections together to achieve nonparallel closure lines. The patients in the 2 groups were followed up at 1 and 6 months postoperatively. We described the details of this method and evaluated the treatment outcomes of the 2 groups. RESULTS: Patient age, labia minora width, and procedure time were not significantly different between the 2 groups (p > 0.05). However, the visual analog scale (VAS) scores in the 2 groups were significantly different (p < 0.05). Two patients in the NV group were somewhat dissatisfied because of lymphoedema and asymmetry; 6 patients in the RV group expressed dissatisfaction with scarring, healing complications, and asymmetry. A minor corrective operation was performed for asymmetry, and the dehiscence healed spontaneously. The patient with edema is still being followed up. CONCLUSION: The surgical method we introduced was indicated to be a simple and effective procedure that avoided wound dehiscence and scar contracture, which are common with the regular approach.