What is labia

Take a look at these pictures of real labia to get a sense of how varied they can really be, and read on to learn more about their overall appearance. The fleshy outer lips of your vulva are known as the labia majora. The inner lips — which usually lead the way to your vaginal opening — are called the labia minora. Wanna get a closer look?

Grab a handheld mirror and go somewhere private. Use this time to explore your unique anatomy and learn more about your body. Think of your outer lips like a horseshoe flipped upside down — a round curve that meets evenly at the end. When this happens, it usually leaves the inner lips exposed. They may or may not protrude below your labia majora. More often than not, the inner lips are longer than and stick out from the outer lips. This difference in length may be more subtle, with the inner lips just barely peeking out, or more pronounced.

Prominent outer lips sit much lower on your vulva. The skin may be thick and puffy or thin and a bit loose — or somewhere in between. These are a form of prominent inner lips. They can dangle up to an inch or more! They may even hang outside of your underwear. You may notice a bit of extra skin or additional folds. These are a form of prominent outer lips.

This may give your inner lips a little more exposure. Just as some people seek cosmetic surgery on visible parts of their bodies, women have resorted to cosmetic surgery on their genitals to make them resemble an ideal. More than half of GPs surveyed in reported being consulted by women and girls wanting genital cosmetic surgery. Read more: What's normal, anyway? GPs should discourage women from unnecessary genital surgery.

Doctors advertise online , offering procedures including labiaplasty to reduce the labia minora, reduction of the clitoral hood, and plumping up of the labia majora. Our research team wanted to learn what was in popular websites advertising Australian clinics, and analysed 31 websites in The same or similar websites came up in our search this week.

Although most websites acknowledged that vulvas were naturally diverse, they used language that pathologised any appearance other than a Barbie doll.

According to one doctor:. They are comparable to the scrotum in males. The labia majora contain sweat and sebaceous glands, which produce lubricating secretions. During puberty, hair appears on the labia majora. The labia minora literally, small lips can be very small or up to 2 inches wide. The labia minora lie just inside the labia majora and surround the openings to the vagina and urethra. A rich supply of blood vessels gives the labia minora a pink color.

During sexual stimulation, these blood vessels become engorged with blood, causing the labia minora to swell and become more sensitive to stimulation.

The area between the opening of the vagina and the anus, below the labia majora, is called the perineum. It varies in length from almost 1 to more than 2 inches 2 to 5 centimeters. The labia majora and the perineum are covered with skin similar to that on the rest of the body. In contrast, the labia minora are lined with a mucous membrane, whose surface is kept moist by fluid secreted by specialized cells.

The opening to the vagina is called the introitus. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy. Download this topic [PDF]. What Is Vulvar Cancer? Types of vulvar cancer Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Squamous cell carcinomas Most cancers of the vulva are squamous cell carcinomas. There are several subtypes of squamous cell carcinoma: The keratinizing type is most common.

Basaloid and warty types are less common. These are the kinds more often found in younger women with HPV infections. Verrucous carcinoma is an uncommon subtype that's important to recognize because it's slow-growing and tends to have a good prognosis outlook. This cancer looks like a large wart and a biopsy is needed to be sure it's not a benign non-cancer growth.

Adenocarcinoma Cancer that starts in gland cells is called adenocarcinoma. Melanoma Melanomas are cancers that start in the pigment-producing cells that give skin color. Sarcoma A sarcoma is a cancer that starts in the cells of bones, muscles, or connective tissue. Basal cell carcinoma Basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer, is more often found on sun-exposed areas of the skin. Written by References. The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as journalists, editors, and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.