Vaginal Surgery Is All The Rage—But Is It Worth It?
Labiaplasty is exploding in popularity, but consumers aren't always thinking about the possible risks involved, says the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists—which is why they issued a warning to the public last week that these are not "accepted" or "routine" procedures.
"What we're concerned about is that there is no safety or efficacy data for these procedures," says Dr. Cheryl Iglesia, director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. "There are no studies in peer-reviewed journals that show long-term outcomes."The number of overall cosmetic plastic surgeries has surged more than 400 percent in the past decade, and in the past few years labiaplasty has emerged as one of the most popular procedures. Although there are sound medical reasons for the procedure, it's being requested more these days for solely cosmetic reasons, which has the OB/GYN organization worried enough to speak out about it.
Newsweek's reasons for the uptick in labiaplasties seem anecdotal at best, although we'd like to think there's no place advertising and body-image-manipulation can't reach. The Chicago Tribune article is a bit more detailed, offering views from both sides of the medical community as well as from patients who have had the procedure.
We hope you can appreciate how many immature and ribald jokes we had to delete from this post before publishing it.
"Women urged to shun trendy plastic surgery" [Chicago Tribune]
"Be Careful Down There" [Newsweek]
(Photo: Getty)
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Comments:
Why would any woman put herself through that?
Call me a jerk for thinking this, but could you imagine any guy, meeting some nice lady, getting naked, engaging in a couple hours of foreplay (rar!) then saying, "Sorry, it doesn't look perky enough. OUT!"
Yeah, me neither. Guys are pigs.
If this does become a trend, I'm concerned. Because sooner or later, you know women are going to start demanding "cuter" Mr. Happys. (Oh gawd, what would make a Mr Happy cuter: ladies?! Gents?!)
Man, I too have so many jokes....
But in all honesty, think about how many botched implants there are....
In some asian countries, men get little inert plastic balls inserted under the skin of their penis, making it a permanent "french tickler." Makes me shudder to think about it.
Still, if I was going to have schlong work done, I'd want antlers.
You know, despite the terabytes of porn I've downloaded over the years, I haven't seen enough live ones to know what an ideal vagina is supposed to look like. I'm just happy to enjoy their company - it's usually too dark to see anyway (the room, not the vagina).
So no, vaginal surgeries - not worth it.
Wow... I mean, the jokes, but... wow...
@cac67: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!
This is what happens when the idle-rich run out of things to spend money on - someone creates something extraordinarily stupid for them. The circle of useless continues.
Reminds me of the series Jezebel did on this subject, wherein one editor interviewed someone from the porn industry. The guy described what he saw as the four different types of vag, and each description included "and I think that's pretty awesome."
You'd think that if any group of people would be obsessive about vaginal aesthetics, it'd be pornographers, but I guess they understand the central truth of their industry: anything is marketable. No matter what a woman looks like, there's almost certainly someone out there who thinks that's the hottest thing ever.
hey! Whatever makes you & your man happy!...
The next time some guy refers to a woman's goodies as a "Big Montana" I may vomit.
If I must explain what a Big Montana is, you've never been to Arby's... If you know what it is I dare you to eat a Big Montana now... you'll never look at that poor sandwich the same.
I say whatever... as long as it's not green. /gross-out
I have never seen a coochie and wished it was a Gucci. No designer labias for me!
I heard a radio interview with a vaginal reconstructive surgeon recently. She said that a lot of patients get these surgeries because of damage sustained after multiple childbirths. The vagina can become torn and the tissue may never properly repair. The muscles inside the vagina can get badly damaged. As a result, as women age, the possibility of things sagging, drooping, falling apart or (shudder) prolapsing (falling out, so to speak) greatly increase. Sometimes these surgeries are necessary.
Yeah, seriously, what does the "ideal" vagina look like?
Needs a better name than labioplasty. Nobody says rhinoplasty, they say nose job.
A cooter job?
cootch repair?
there is no way in HELL that i'm letting anyone come near me "down there" with a knife unless it's absolutely necessary. scary.
If we can give little baby boys cosmetic surgery (otherwise known as circumcision) why not let the ladies have theirs. At least they get a choice in the matter!
@cac67: I think you're thinking of this:
"Yakuza in prison sometime perform pearlings: for each year spent in prison one pearl is inserted under the skin of the penis."
Labia-mania.
From the first article:
"I don't know what the G-spot is," said Dr. Melvin Gerbie, chief of gynecology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Poor Mrs. Gerbie...
Oddly enough, I know some female OBGYN's who have had this surgery performed. *YIKES*
Disclaimer: I'm a man, and I don't see a good reason to get surgeries like this. It's not a big deal to guys. I speak for myself, so I'm sure there are some guys out there for which it would be a big deal, but whatever. That's MY take.
Regardless of that, it seems as though these professional organizations are glossing over the fact that this is COSMETIC surgery. To wit:
"I know of no medical reason to do these surgeries and no scientific data that proves they are beneficial," said Dr. Thomas E. Nolan, president-elect of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons.
Ok... what is a "medical" or "scientifically beneficial" reason for breast implants? (Note: I'm not a fan of those either.)
I had to roll my eyes at that Dr. Gerbie guy too... how out of touch are these people?
I read this story here yesterday, I'm sure of it. This morning I come back and it seems to be more recent than the "Morning Deals" post. Odd. Almost as if it was purposely moved to attract more attention?
I think the question to look into is whether there is any possible medical HARM derived from these vag-surgeries. We know of the risks of breast augmentation, and yet women still get implants. So far, it sounds to me like these doctors are harping on what is just another form of cosmetic surgery.
Unless you're a hooker and a lot of people are going to be seeing your vagina, I don't really see the point of this.
Not that I am a fan of cosmetic surgery- Sardonicbastard--but sometimes breast cancer takes the breasts..many women find it difficult to heal without this surgery...I dont think these are the folks with the E size cups though..just a reconstruction of what they lost...
@bluegus32: The only thing scarier than reading about this surgery is reading the good reason you gave to have it done. Falling apart or falling out? Why doesn't anybody ever tell you this stuff?!?!
Or do they? Do OB-GYNs tell you this when you tell them you're trying to get pregnant?
@hc5duke:
"Yakuza in prison sometime perform pearlings: for each year spent in prison one pearl is inserted under the skin of the penis."
The plastic beads that cac67 is referring to is not the Yakuza ritual. Some Asian men place many plastic beads under the skin of their johnson to add girth and provide pleasure for their partners during intercourse. I assume it is an attempt to copy the design of certain battery operated plastic adult toys such as the "Jackrabbit" (google it).
Funny thing is, this topic came up in the new Showtime series Californication. David Duchovny meets an attractive woman, and she asks his opinion of her lips. Thinking Botox or collagen, he begins his inspection, only to have her interrupt him with 'Not those lips'.
It turns out she was a porn star, with a child and was serious about the surgery to enhance her career...
I just don't get it. Women do not need to do this to impress guys. We are very much a function over form crowd. Barring valid medical reasons or like acid damage or burns this is just pointless.
There are a lot of surgical procedures that the physician organizations within the United States do not approve or condone. Does this make them bad? I think not.
In short, I am sure there are legitimate medical reasons (both physical and mental) to why these types of surgical procedures occur. There are also a lot of people who obsess about appearance. The bottom line is, if someone is willing to go through this, then let them.
If a man leaves a woman because they had children and the pleasure from intercourse is no longer what he wants then he's a jackass. A better method of dealing with the issue would be investigating other sexual techniques that might increase the pleasure levels of sex, not necessarily intercourse.
@LTS!: Also, while the labia will never ever ever ever ever be the same, kegel exercises can make up for some of the lost tightness, no?
I looked at some of the pictures on one of the Drs. websites that do these types of surgeries. All the after shots look the same - like porn mag vaginas (and also kinda like those fake vaginas - too perfect). Other than for an actual medical reason, this is just yet another plastic surgery induced "need" to fix women. For the most part I'm all for doing what ever you want to do to your body as long as you're not hurting anyone. However, it is really sad to think that there are women out there who are so unhappy with their bodies that they're changing something that few people see and those people who do get to see it usually don't care what it looks like.
Let me say, in all seriousness... eww eww ewww eww ewww. That particular spot is the LAST place anyone should be cavalierly carving up to suit some dickhead's idea of what it SHOULD look like. It's repulsive that someone has such a low opinion of themselves that they think this is okay. Same with breast work. I think CEEJEEMCBEEGEE said all there is to say on the matter....
"If he's complaining, he don't need to be hittin' it."
Sorry to nitpick, but if we're talking labioplasty, then we're not talking "vaginal surgery." "Vulva" and "vagina" are not interchangeable terms.
That's about my biggest pet peev of all time.
Being a male, I'm often left in disbelief at the lengths some women will go. I do have to say though, that often times this has nothing to do with a guy complaining or suggesting that anything needs to change. There seem to be a great amount of women who would do this (or whatever other less extreme example) regardless of what the men in their life are telling them. So let's not pretend that the only reason this would happen is because some guy complained about it…
There is no body part that can't be obsessed over and/or compared unfavorably with someone else's; I dated someone once who fretted that her toes were too long, and wasn't reassured when I told her that that was one of the things that made her unique. I suspect that the ready availability of porn on the net, and in particular extreme closeups of hoo-hahs, has led some women to compare their equipment to that of other ladies, without the context of knowing that most men (and, I'm glad to see, most of the commenters) think that they're all pretty awesome.
i'm not a woman but in an extreme sort of way it reminds me of what a female friend of mine once told me about women and panties.
She said, she bought expensive bra/panty sets to wear for her own benefit even though she wasn't married or sexually active with anyone at the time.
She said it made her feel better even though no one else would know anything about it.
I think the same or similar idea may be true for women that would do this. It is mostly hidden except for their sexual partners and OB doctors. Assuming a woman isn't in the adult entertainment industry and has a monogamous relationship she will only really be showing it to one person...if that.
Truely there is some amount of lack of self-importance and acceptance in these cases of cosmetic-only procedures
I got lasik done b/c i couldn't see, but there was even an element of cosmetic self-consciousness involved b/c i didn't like the way i looked in glasses.
I think vag augmentation is just an extreme for of this that people find a way to justify.
I first heard about this on Loveline. Dr. Drew had been an observer on several "Vaginal makovers" He mentioned that many of them were women who had multiple children and had suffered vaginal colapse resulting in pain, lost sensation, and orgasmic incontenance.
I also saw a segment on some plastic surgery show where a young woman had a 2" by 2" peice of labial tissue removed because it would get pulled inside during sex causing a lot of pain.
I kinda wonder if most cases are like what I saw, or if it's the new boob job.
I think we need to create a world world ALL vaginas are loved and cared for, not just the pretty ones. The pink lettuce, the chewed bubblegum and yes, even the Fidel Castro eating a london broil should all be equally honored and respected.
Seriously, any dude that passes judgment on what a vulva/vagina/whatever doesn't deserve to be in the company of one. If it's not blatantly obvious now that we need to really start impressing upon little girls that they're beautiful regardless of what people think then it never will be.
@JayP71: "Barring valid medical reasons or like acid damage or burns this is just pointless."
Acid damage? Burns? WTF is going on over at your place? :)
Jerkosaurus:
Next time someone asks me what my biggest pet peeve is, I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal yours.
Hope you don't mind.
@bluegus32: "She said that a lot of patients get these surgeries because of damage sustained after multiple childbirths."
Unfortunately, the vast majority of these types of surgeries aren't performed for serious medical problems resulting from childbirth: They're performed to "correct" the stretching of the vaginal that naturally results from PUSHING A CANTELOUPE-SIZED BABY HEAD OUT OF IT.
At the end of the Chicago Tribune article they had a woman whose husband stopped having sex with her after child #2 (I think she was a nurse) because she was "too loose" and eventually divorced her and then she got her vag tightened back up.
We don't need vaginally surgery to correct that problem: we need marital firing squads that hold jackass husbands to account. "Well, your honor, I spent 18 months pregnant so he could propagate his genetic material, and 32 hours in labor, and pushed two giant baby heads out my vagina, and gained and lost baby weight twice, and took horse-pill-sized prenatal vitamins, and was constipated for nearly a year straight, and had two episiotomies, and have stretch marks all over my belly and thighs, and now he wants to divorce me because my vagina is stretchy." "Yes, you're right, I do believe a firing squad is the proper answer."
I highly doubt that men are driving the demand for this procedure. I can't imagine a man saying to his girlfriend/wife "you need to have this done. I'm not satisfied with your vagina." This is, I suspect, driven largely by the fashion industry which is dominated by female influence.
I a chick's got the WIzard's Sleeves going on down there, she's got a right to get 'em lopped.
What do you expect? Women have outlandishly paranoid body-image issues.
@OKH: let's try to wrap this all too sensitive(pun intended) and personal subject in the context of a consumer issue...
From wikipedia
"A commodity is something for which there is demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a given market."
Despite the remaining vast amounts of internet geeks still seeking the elusive vagina, in today's world it is much easier to get than ever before. Thus it has become a commodity to a certain extent.
So the same question comes up for a corporation in the commodity business and for the woman who is trying to set herself apart and to become a unique entity...How do suppliers of commodities differentiate themselves?
In a commodity market, price falls and becomes relatively uniform. Barriers to entry into the market are also eliminated or reduced.
Take the case of a copper plumbing fitting. It is the same exact part from one OEM to another. The object here is to reduce production cost/unit and charge as much as possible without losing business to a competitor doing the exact same thing. It is a bit of a cat and mouse game. All the while you have the outside influence of the raw cost of materials, copper in this scenario, that is used in so many other products. Customer service is a key driver. This includes product availability, service before and after the sale.
Back to the vagina side of things. Sex is much more an open part of society now. The barriers to entry for people(men and women, these days) to have access are decreasing. Less people are monogamous than ever before. That puts a lot of whoopie on the market. That drives down cost and forces providers to differentiate themselves.
Differentiation in the sex "market" throughout history has been based on certain elements of physical beauty. The Barbie generation look-alikes has taken differentiation to a point where ironically in the end are less differentiated b/c they all look so much the same/similar.
So now, in this vastly competitive market of boob jobs, lypo, face lifts, botox, anal bleaching, this Labiaplasty is just the next new thing to try to be different.
Not to mention the outside competition of porn, prostitution, and other forms of paid adult entertainment. Anyone trying to live up to or compete in this market is in a losing battle. The "average" woman trying to find herself worth in anything other than a true loving relationship without qualifications will be searching without reward.
It's a vicious cycle to be sure. It is self cannibalizing. Luckily women are a renewable resource. Though as any renewable resource goes, it should still used with a bit of restraint. Remember the three R's of conservation. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Sorry this got so long.
@Smoking Pope: i was thinking the same thing... that give a whole new meaning to P.Hilton's tag line "That's HOT"
If he's complaining, he don't need to be hittin' it.