01The basics
What is a clitoral hood reduction?
The hood is the fold of skin that covers and protects the clitoris. The operation removes some of that skin and closes the cut with stitches that dissolve.
- Why women ask for it
- Most often for balance after a labiaplasty, when the hood can look large beside smaller inner lips. Some ask because extra skin rubs on clothing.
- Will it change sensation?
- It can, in either direction. Some surgeons' societies offer it to improve sensation. Less feeling, too much feeling and lasting pain are also named risks. The Cleveland Clinic says most plastic surgeons do not recommend removing so much that the clitoris is uncovered, because the results could be unpredictable.
- What is normal
- Every hood is different. It may cover all, some or none of the tip of the clitoris.
- With a labiaplasty, or alone
- It is most commonly done along with a labiaplasty, and it can be done alone. Done together, the labiaplasty mostly sets the recovery, so read that page too.
Keep in mind
What is removed cannot be put back.
Too much cannot be corrected. It can leave the clitoris exposed and too sensitive, which can be uncomfortable every day. Too little can be corrected with a second operation.
The tip of the clitoris is one of the most sensitive parts of the body. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons lists nerve damage among the risks, and we cannot give you a figure for how often it happens.
Results differ from person to person. Dr. Rockhead talks you through what to expect for you before anything is booked.
02Your consultation
Who do you meet?
Dr. Charles Rockhead, a gynaecologist, in person at 9 Devon Road in Kingston. He examines you and sets out your options, including not having surgery. He performs the operation himself. Then take time to think: you should not be pressed into an extra procedure.
Dr. Charles Rockhead, Medical Director — Oshun Cosmetic Services, Kingston.
Dr. Charles Rockhead
Medical Director · Board-Certified OB/GYN · 30+ years of practice
Dr. Charles Rockhead is a board-certified Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with more than thirty years of practice in Kingston. He is the Medical Director of Oshun Cosmetic Services and the founding physician of Amadeo Medical Group, the parent clinical practice.
Read the clinic story · View Dr. Rockhead's LinkedIn
03The operation
Before, during and after.
It is a day case. Allow up to two hours for the hood alone, and longer with a labiaplasty.
i.
Before
You need to be in good general health. Tell us every medicine, vitamin, herb and bush tea you take. If you take a blood thinner, aspirin or an anti-inflammatory painkiller, do not stop on your own: your doctors decide what to pause, and when. Stop smoking at least four weeks before: smokers' wounds can heal more slowly and are more likely to get infected. No alcohol for 8 days before. Do not shave or wax the area for a week before.
ii.
The anaesthetic
Usually a local anaesthetic, which numbs the area, with sedation to relax you. A general anaesthetic may be used, for example when it is done with a labiaplasty or other surgery. With sedation or a general anaesthetic, we tell you when to stop eating and drinking. Someone must drive you home and stay with you for at least the first night.
iii.
The operation
A small amount of skin is removed from the hood, taking care not to disturb the clitoris and its nerves. The cut is closed with fine stitches that dissolve.
iv.
The first days
Rest in bed on the day. Expect some pain, swelling and bruising at first. Use cold packs over your underwear, 20 minutes on and 20 off. Wear loose cotton underwear and loose clothes. Take short showers, not baths. Keep the area clean and pat it dry. Take the medicines you are given as directed.
04Recovery
When to get help, time off and check-ups.
- Go to a hospital at once
- For chest pain, shortness of breath, a painful swollen leg, or bleeding that will not stop. Do not drive yourself.
- Call us straight away
- On (876) 676-6297, for bleeding, swelling or bruising that is getting worse or is more than you were told to expect, severe pain, a fever or chills, pus or a bad smell, a wound that is hot and red or has opened, severe pain when you pass urine or open your bowels, or sickness or dizziness. We are closed at night and from Friday to Sunday. If we are closed, do not wait for us: go to a hospital.
- Time off work
- Plan on five to seven days for the hood alone, and one to two weeks with a labiaplasty.
- Sex, tampons, exercise
- No sex and no tampons for four to six weeks. No hard exercise, swimming or cycling for four to six weeks. No baths, hot tubs or saunas, and no waxing or shaving, until you have healed.
- Swelling
- The worst of it usually goes within six weeks. Some swelling can last up to six months, so the final result can take that long.
- Check-ups
- We check the wound at one week and at two weeks, and see you again at three months.
05Risks
The risks, and who should not have it.
- The risks
- The risks include bleeding, a collection of blood, infection, nerve damage, less feeling or too much, lasting pain in the clitoris, too much or too little skin removed, an uneven shape, a scar that shows or feels hard, pain during sex, and a result you do not like, which can mean more surgery. A wound can open: one NHS health board's guideline cites up to 30 in 100 in the short term, for cosmetic genital surgery as a group. With any operation there is also a reaction to the anaesthetic and a small risk of a blood clot. One surgeons' society calls significant complications infrequent. None gives a figure. We go through each one at your consultation.
- Who should not have it
- It should not be done under 18. We don't do it in pregnancy, with an infection in the area, with a bleeding disorder, with diabetes that is not under control, or after earlier surgery in the area. Tell us about stitches after childbirth, so a doctor can say whether they count. If worry about your body is with you much of the time, we will not plan surgery until a psychiatrist or psychologist has seen you and agrees. If you are counting on more sensation, tell us first: we will not plan surgery until Dr. Rockhead has talked you through what to expect for you.
- What else you can choose
- You can do nothing: this operation is not medically necessary. You can have a labiaplasty alone. And if soreness or itching brought you here, have a doctor look for another cause first, such as a skin condition, an infection, or a hood that has stuck to the clitoris.
06Cost & booking
How much does a clitoral hood reduction cost in Jamaica?
- What it costs
- We estimate US$1,500 to US$3,000. With a labiaplasty the two are quoted as one package.
- The consultation
- From J$11,000, in person, with Dr. Rockhead.
- When we are open
- Monday and Wednesday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Tuesday and Thursday, 10 AM to 4 PM. Closed Friday to Sunday.
- Paying
- Cash, debit card, credit card or approved financing. It is cosmetic, and health insurance does not usually cover it, so plan to pay yourself.
If this sounds right
The next step is a conversation, not a commitment.
Start with a private consultation. Nothing is booked until you decide.
No obligation · Every consultation is in-person with Dr. Rockhead.
