If you could imagine a body part that could be changed in
any way, chances are that it can or has been done. You feel like you’re a bit
on the shorter side and you want to grow a few inches? Check. You can do that
with limb-lengthening surgery. Bothered by your outie belly button? No problem.
Get an umbilicoplasty to transform it into an innie belly button.
What about surgery for the areas down below? For women who loathe the appearance of their genitalia or
just find it uncomfortable to have enlarged labia, it’s possible to address these
concerns. It’s called labiaplasty, and it’s increasingly performed now.
What is it?
Labiaplasty is a surgical procedure that reduces the size of
the outer labia or the inner labia. This procedure alters the shape and size of
the labia for a more pleasing appearance or to improve the patient’s comfort. Labiaplasty
usually takes about 30 minutes to perform. Some things to consider about this
procedure are that patients should be at least 18 years old. That’s because a
woman’s body can keep developing until her early 20s, so it’s best to wait
until they’re fully developed.
Recovery time is not extensive—usually, 3 days to a full
week are needed as time off from work. Patients shouldn’t be having sex for 6
weeks after surgery.
The demand for labiaplasty has exploded in popularity over
the last two years. There were 5,070 labiaplasty procedures performed in the
U.S in 2013, which is a 44% increase from 2012.
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| Source: styledicor.com |
Why would a woman get
labiaplasty?
- Cosmetic concerns: size, length of the inner and
outer labia, discolouration
- Pain and discomfort during sex or physical
activities
- A lot of women find larger or asymmetric
appearance of their labia looks “abnormal” or undesirable
- They don’t like their inner labia protruding
over the outside labia
- Discomfort when walking or exercising
- Discomfort when wearing certain underwear like
thongs
- Loss of sexual confidence or pleasure
The controversy
Not everyone agrees with offering labiaplasty as a
procedure. According to this CBC
article, obstetricians and gynecologists believe physicians have a
responsibility to educate patients on what is “normal”. They say they don’t
perform these procedures because there’s no valid medical reason to do so. This
Salon article writes that in 2007, The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
published an opinion stating its opposition to all forms of vaginal
rejuvenation. They said:
“'The appearance of the external genitalia
varies significantly from woman to woman,' and the 'safety and effectiveness of
these procedures have not been documented' due to lack of 'adequate studies.'”
Meanwhile, plastic surgeons believe patients have the right
to make their own personal decisions—with that said, labiaplasty is performed
by mostly plastic surgeons.
Without a doubt,
this procedure is a touchy topic amongst physicians and regular folks. Cosmetic
surgery is already a controversial issue for some people in general, but
perhaps the idea of going below the belt for surgery seems invasive—like an
intrusion of privacy. Some people even consider labiaplasty “genital
mutilation”.
But like with any
other cosmetic procedure, is it wrong for someone to want to change something about
their body if it truly bothers them both physically and emotionally? While
labiaplasty is not as commonly performed like breast augmentation, the fact
that it’s growing says something. Some physicians may say that women don’t need
it, but numbers don’t lie. People want it.
