In this guide13 sections
- Key Points
- Labiaplasty vs Monsplasty: What Is the Difference?
- What Is a Labiaplasty?
- What Is a Monsplasty (Mons Lift)?
- Mons Lift vs Labiaplasty: Which Do You Need?
- Monsplasty and Labiaplasty Together
- Monsplasty After Weight Loss or Pregnancy
- Recovery: Labiaplasty vs Monsplasty
- Risks of Labiaplasty and Monsplasty
- Labiaplasty and Monsplasty at Centre for Surgery
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Labiaplasty or Mons Lift: Next Steps
- References
Key Points
- Labiaplasty vs monsplasty: labiaplasty reduces or reshapes the labia, usually the inner lips. A monsplasty, or mons lift, reduces fat, loose skin or both from the mons pubis, the mound above the pubic bone.
- Mons lift vs labiaplasty: a bulge or droop above the pubic hairline points to a mons lift; long, uneven or rubbing labia point to labiaplasty.
- Monsplasty and labiaplasty together is common, particularly after weight loss or pregnancy, and can be done in a single operation.
- A sagging mons can affect the labia: when the mons droops, it can pull the outer labia down and make them look larger.
- Recovery differs: labiaplasty means three to five days off desk work and no sex for six weeks; a standalone mons lift means about a week off work, a compression garment for six weeks and no sex for at least four weeks.
- Technique depends on anatomy: a mons lift may be liposuction alone, skin removal alone, or both, depending on the balance of fat and loose skin.
Labiaplasty and monsplasty are often mentioned together, and many women are unsure which one would address what bothers them. They treat neighbouring but different areas. Labiaplasty reshapes the labia, the lips of the vulva. A mons lift (monsplasty) treats the mons pubis, the cushion of fat and skin that sits over the pubic bone above the vulva. This guide explains the difference, how to tell which one you need, and what having both together involves.
A full or drooping mons is often called a FUPA, and our guide to how to get rid of FUPA explains why diet and exercise often fail to shift it. For pricing of each procedure, see our mons lift cost guide and labiaplasty cost guide.
Labiaplasty vs Monsplasty: What Is the Difference?
- Area treated: labiaplasty treats the labia minora (inner lips) and sometimes the labia majora (outer lips). Monsplasty treats the mons pubis, above the vulva.
- What is removed: labiaplasty removes excess labial tissue. Monsplasty removes fat by liposuction, loose skin by excision, or both.
- Typical reasons: labiaplasty for rubbing, discomfort during exercise or sex, and visible protrusion. Monsplasty for a bulge that shows through clothing, chafing, hygiene difficulty or a sagging pubic area.
- Scars: labiaplasty scars sit along the labial edge and are usually hard to see once healed. A mons lift scar sits low, within the skin crease above the pubic area, hidden by underwear.
- Common combinations: labiaplasty with clitoral hood reduction; monsplasty with a tummy tuck.
What Is a Labiaplasty?
Labiaplasty, also called labia reduction, reduces or reshapes the inner labia and, where needed, the outer labia. The most common techniques are the trim and the wedge, explained in our guide to trim vs wedge labiaplasty. It is a day-case operation lasting one to two hours, usually under local anaesthetic with sedation.
Labiaplasty has high satisfaction rates. A 2024 systematic review and meta-analysis of 86 studies ↗ found that 94% of patients were satisfied across all techniques, with complications generally rare[3]. The most common problem is separation of part of the wound edge.
Labiaplasty before and after photos
The photographs below show labiaplasty results, and more are in our labiaplasty before and after photos gallery. They are blurred by default; tap an image to reveal it.
Labiaplasty and labia reduction before and after photographs. Scroll sideways to see more results; tap an image to reveal it.
What about the outer labia?
When the outer labia, rather than the inner, are bulky or have loose skin, the procedure is a labia majora reduction. This is the operation most often confused with a mons lift, as both treat fullness in the pubic area, but the labia majora sit below and either side of the mons.
What Is a Monsplasty (Mons Lift)?
A monsplasty, also called a mons lift, pubic lift or mons pubis reduction, removes excess fat and loose skin from the mons pubis. The mons can become larger or droop with weight gain and loss, pregnancy, hormonal changes and age, and after a tummy tuck it can look more prominent next to a newly flat abdomen.
Mons pubis liposuction or skin excision?
Where the mons is full but the skin is firm, liposuction alone can flatten it. Where the skin has stretched and hangs, it needs to be removed through a low horizontal incision and the remaining tissue lifted. Many women need both. The mons is also often fixed to the deeper tissue of the lower abdomen with internal stitches so that it stays lifted.
How surgeons grade a sagging mons
A widely used classification of mons pubis ptosis published in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery ↗ grades the mons by the amount of fat and the degree of droop, from fullness alone through to marked sagging. In the author’s series of 132 patients who had a mons lift with abdominoplasty, all were free of contour deformity at follow-up and satisfaction remained high[1]. Grading matters, as under-treating a drooping mons leaves a bulge, while treating fat when the real problem is skin does not lift it.
Mons Lift vs Labiaplasty: Which Do You Need?
Stand in front of a mirror in underwear and look at where the fullness sits:
- A bulge above the pubic hairline that shows through clothing: a mons lift.
- A mons that droops downwards, sometimes overhanging: a mons lift with skin removal.
- Inner labia that are long, uneven or rub: labiaplasty.
- Bulky or loose outer labia: labia majora reduction, or labia puffing if they are deflated instead.
- A combination: treating both areas together.
The areas also affect each other. A heavy, drooping mons can pull the outer labia downwards and make them look larger or looser, which is why surgeons managing these changes after major weight loss often treat the mons and labia majora together[2]. Lifting the mons can make a labial concern smaller, so the order of treatment is planned at consultation.
Monsplasty and Labiaplasty Together
Having a monsplasty and labiaplasty in the same operation is common, and it means one anaesthetic and one recovery. In a series of 124 women who had combined genital procedures, including labia minora reduction and mons pubis liposuction, 98% were happy or very happy with their appearance one year later, and 8.1% had some wound separation[4]. When the two are combined, recovery follows the longer of the two timelines, which in practice means planning for six weeks before sex and exercise.
Which comes first, the mons or the labia?
Where both areas need treatment, the mons is usually addressed first in the plan, even when both are done in one operation. Lifting and reducing the mons changes the position of the top of the outer labia and how much of the inner labia shows, so the labial reduction can then be judged against the new position. If the operations are staged, the mons lift, often with a tummy tuck, is done first, and the labia are reassessed once swelling has settled. This avoids removing labial tissue that would have looked proportionate once the mons was lifted.
Combining with a tummy tuck
A monsplasty is also very often combined with a tummy tuck. Our guide to having a tummy tuck and labiaplasty at the same time explains how larger combinations are planned, and when staging the operations is safer.
Monsplasty After Weight Loss or Pregnancy
After major weight loss, the mons often deflates and sags, and the skin no longer has the elasticity to retract. A prospective study of 23 women who had monsplasty after massive weight loss ↗ found that self-esteem scores rose from 25.9 to 36.0 and every patient was satisfied or very satisfied, with particular improvements in personal hygiene, physical activity and clothing[5]. Our guide to changes to the vagina and labia after weight loss covers the wider picture.
After pregnancy, and particularly after a caesarean section, a scar tethered to the deeper tissue can make the skin above it bulge, a pattern sometimes called a caesarean shelf. A mons lift can address this, and it is often planned as part of a mummy makeover.
Recovery: Labiaplasty vs Monsplasty
- Labiaplasty: three to five days off desk work, walking from day one, showers from 48 hours, and no sex, exercise, baths or swimming for six weeks. See our labiaplasty recovery guide.
- Mons lift (standalone): about one week off desk work, a compression garment for around six weeks, no heavy lifting or exercise for four to six weeks, and no sex for at least four weeks. Bruising settles over two weeks, and the final result is seen at about 12 months as the scar fades.
- Combined with a tummy tuck: recovery follows the tummy tuck timeline.
Risks of Labiaplasty and Monsplasty
Both are generally safe operations, but every surgery carries risks. For labiaplasty these include bleeding, infection, wound separation, asymmetry and, rarely, removal of too much tissue. A 2022 meta-analysis of 46 studies found wound separation and aesthetic concerns to be the most common reasons for revision[6]. For a mons lift, the main risks are bruising, fluid collection, infection, numbness of the skin, a visible or widened scar and asymmetry. A stable weight before and after surgery helps the result last.
Labiaplasty and Monsplasty at Centre for Surgery
At Centre for Surgery, labiaplasty and mons lift surgery are performed by GMC-registered surgeons at our CQC-regulated Baker Street hospital. Labiaplasty is usually carried out under local anaesthetic with sedation; a mons lift under local anaesthetic or TIVA (total intravenous anaesthesia) depending on its extent; and combined procedures under TIVA. The surgeon who assesses you performs your operation, our labiaplasty nursing team is all-female, and we recommend a two-week cooling-off period before any surgery. Finance is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does mons pubis fat go away with weight loss?
It may shrink with weight loss, but the mons is often one of the last areas to change, and loose skin can remain. Where fat is stubborn, liposuction helps; where skin hangs, it needs to be removed.
How long does it take to heal from a monsplasty?
Most women return to desk work after about a week. Bruising settles over two weeks, exercise resumes at four to six weeks, and the final result is seen at around 12 months.
What does a healthy mons pubis look like?
There is no single normal shape. The mons is naturally a soft, slightly rounded pad of fat, more prominent in women than men. It only needs treatment if its size or droop causes discomfort or distress.
Is a monsplasty the same as FUPA surgery?
Yes. FUPA, a colloquial term for a fat upper pubic area, refers to the same region. FUPA surgery, mons pubis reduction, mons lift and monsplasty all describe the same group of procedures.
Can you have a monsplasty with a tummy tuck?
Yes, and it is the most common combination. Treating the mons at the same time gives a smooth, continuous line from the abdomen to the pubic area.
Can a mons lift change how my labia look?
It can. Lifting a drooping mons also lifts the top of the outer labia, which can make them look smaller and tighter. This is considered when planning whether labial surgery is also needed.
How risky is labiaplasty surgery?
Labiaplasty is generally safe, with high satisfaction. The most common complication is partial wound separation; bleeding, infection and asymmetry are less common.
Does the NHS offer labiaplasty or monsplasty?
Rarely. The NHS guidance on labiaplasty ↗ notes it is not usually available for cosmetic reasons. Our guide to getting a labiaplasty on the NHS explains the criteria.
Labiaplasty or Mons Lift: Next Steps
If you are unsure whether your concern lies with the labia, the mons or both, a consultation will establish which procedure, or combination, will give you the result you want.
Phone: 020 7993 4849 | Address: 95–97 Baker Street, Marylebone, London W1U 6RN
Contact us to schedule a consultation
References
- El-Khatib HA. Mons pubis ptosis: classification and strategy for treatment. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2011;35(1):24–30. doi:10.1007/s00266-010-9552-4 ↗
- Alter GJ. Management of the mons pubis and labia majora in the massive weight loss patient. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2009;29(5):432–442. doi:10.1016/j.asj.2009.08.015 ↗
- Géczi AM, Varga T, Vajna R, et al. Comprehensive assessment of labiaplasty techniques and tools, satisfaction rates, and risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Aesthetic Surgery Journal 2024;44(11):NP798–NP808. doi:10.1093/asj/sjae143 ↗
- Cihantimur B, Herold C. Genital beautification: a concept that offers more than reduction of the labia minora. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery 2013;37(6):1128–1133. doi:10.1007/s00266-013-0211-4 ↗
- Pechevy L, Gourari A, Carloni R, Sauvaget F, Bertheuil N, Goga D. Monsplasty after massive weight loss: assessment of its aesthetic and functional impact. Annales de Chirurgie Plastique et Esthétique 2016;61(1):e21–e35. doi:10.1016/j.anplas.2014.12.002 ↗
- Escandón JM, Duarte-Bateman D, Bustos VP, et al. Maximizing safety and optimizing outcomes of labiaplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery 2022;150(4):776e–788e. doi:10.1097/PRS.0000000000009552 ↗
