For as long as she can remember, Sara has been dealing with the issues caused by her labia. She was always uncomfortable and distracted, and she found it hard to focus on doing what she loved. When the pain began to interfere with her goal of becoming a cosmetologist, she knew she had to do something about it. “When I started working, I was like, yeah, I need to fix this.”

But going under the knife is a big decision, and Sara couldn’t help feeling a little anxious. “I’ve never gotten something done like this, so it was very scary,” she recalls. And it didn’t help that labiaplasty is such an intimate procedure — she was worried the experience would be awkward or embarrassing. “I was nervous because it’s an area that you don’t just show to anyone, you know what I mean?”

She didn’t let that stop her. She was done letting her labia stand in the way of her life and was ready to take control of her future. “I wanted to feel confident in myself. It was my biggest insecurity, so my biggest goal was to be more confident and be more comfortable.” 

So she did her research and weighed her options, coming to the conclusion that surgery was the way to go. “Surgery was the only solution, in my opinion,” she laughs. “Trust me — I looked up everything. I think like every month I would go online and look at doctors, reviews and videos about labiaplasty, just because I was so insecure about it.” 

Eventually, Sara found a surgeon she liked and reached out to make an appointment. By the end of her first meeting with Dr. Patel at New Reflections Plastic Surgery, her fears started to melt away. “He was very supportive,” she says. “He asked me to describe the problem and just made it like a conversation that was normal. It was perfect.”

In this video, Dr. Nikesh Patel creates Sara’s “Before” sketch. Check out Part 2 of Sara’s Journey to Her Labiaplasty to the see the “After!”

Keeping it Real

Sara didn’t know what to expect going into her first consultation, but she liked Dr. Patel from the moment they met. “I was scared, but he made me feel comfortable,” she recalls. “He was very nice and supportive. Even after a few visits, it almost feels like he’s a friend… like he’s someone you could tell everything to. He’s a person I trust.”

“And I love how he talks,” she adds. “He’ll make you feel like you’re home.”

Since this was her first surgery, these qualities were important to Sara. She felt drawn to Dr. Patel because his results stood out from the rest, but it was his caring and supportive attitude that made her go with New Reflections Plastic Surgery. She didn’t want to settle for a doctor who would just tell her what she wanted to hear — she wanted someone who would listen to her needs and be honest about what kind of results to expect.

“I found a couple of doctors near me, but he caught my eye because I was looking at the pictures, and his scars, the way he did it…. It looked like they weren’t even there,” she said. “I liked the results of every patient of his that I saw, and I was like, ‘That’s what I want, that’s my goal.’ Then after I saw that he was real, he was honest…. That’s when I realized that he was the one that would do an amazing job and tell me straight up what he could and couldn’t do.”

After meeting with Dr. Patel, Sara’s search was over. She felt like she knew what she was getting into and was ready to move forward. “He made sure I knew every possibility that there could be. I really appreciated that.” So she booked her surgery and waited excitedly for the day that would change her life.

A Rollercoaster of Emotions
Sara had to drive an hour and a half to New Jersey on the day of her surgery and felt a nervous excitement the whole way there. “I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. My stomach was upside down and my head was spinning and spinning and spinning.”

One of her biggest fears was the anesthesia wearing off during surgery. She had other things on her mind, too, like what to expect from the recovery process or if there’d be any scarring, and she made sure to discuss these concerns with Dr. Patel during her consultation.

“I was scared the anesthesia would go away in the middle of surgery, and I will start feeling pain,” she explained. “Or like bleeding a lot. So I definitely asked him about that. And I didn’t want any scars. He told me in reality, you never know what could happen, but I knew he would do a good job from what he told me.”

There was no turning back now, but Sara was confident that she was in good hands. “I was still nervous, but when I got there, I was finally like, ‘Alright, it’s time,’ and I calmed down.” She felt reassured by Dr. Patel and his team, who helped her relax and cope with the stress of surgery. “He was amazing,” she said. “He told me to breathe and, you know, everything he did, he would tell me what he was doing through the whole process. I just felt very taken care of.”

It turned out that her fears were unfounded. Her procedure went smoothly, and the excess skin and tissue that had bothered her for so long were removed without a hitch. But still, it was an experience that would stay with her. “It was very weird,” she admitted. “Cause I could feel everything. It didn’t feel like pain, but it’s something I’ll never forget.”

Once it was over, she could barely contain her excitement. “I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe it, finally. I made it!” No longer would she have to take frequent breaks at work or feel insecure around others. The pain, the embarrassment, it would all be gone, but first, she had to give her body time to heal. Just hours after surgery, Sara went home to begin the recovery process that would move her closer to the kind of life she’d always wanted.


Sara’s Before and After sketches by Dr. Nikesh Patel. Part 3 of Sara’s Journey to Her Labiaplasty includes Sara’s before and after photos, which highlight the truly amazing transformation.

Sara’s Journey to Her Labiaplasty, The Final Part

Would Sara’s results be everything she was hoping for? In Part 3, the finale of her story, find out what happened after her surgery and how the experience would forever change her way of thinking.

Read the Final Part Now

If you’re interested in learning more about labiplasties or would like to schedule a consultation with Dr. Patel at New Reflections Plastic Surgery today, please give us a call at (732) 354-3792 today!

See our Labiaplasty Results – Before & After gallery