Amputating or trimming this skin can lead to bleeding, scarring, chronic infection and longstanding pain from nerve damage. Other risks include reduced sexual pleasure and dissatisfaction of the overall appearance resulting in further surgery in some cases.
Failure to acknowledge deep-seated issues can result in the young woman setting off on a path of repeated cosmetic surgery on various parts of her body which is not only expensive but also comes with a possibility of surgical complications. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists RCOG has recognised the concerns of gynaecologists in the UK regarding these procedures and has come out with guidance , making several recommendations. The RCOG urges clinicians to provide accurate information and to be aware that in many cases, there is no medical evidence to suggest that treatment will truly benefit the individual.
So what role can responsible professionals play? Educating women early in their high school years about how our anatomy varies is important. Equally necessary is boosting confidence and body image through education and open discussion.
Health professionals must not be afraid to recommend psychological assessment and counselling before agreeing to surgery. Negative attitudes towards natural female genitalia does not just lead to labiaplasty, but also to the popular practice of removing all or most of one's pubic hair. That hair is there for a reason: to protect the external parts of the female genitalia vulva and removing it - as well as wearing thongs - can lead to chafing, pulling or trapping of skin.
In removing hair, women are also more aware of the appearance of body parts that were previously covered and protected. Skip to main content Skip to footer content. Personal wheelchair budgets. Email Email. In most cases, it does not cause any problems, which is why labiaplasty is rarely available on the NHS. Find out more about how puberty can change the appearance of your vulva PDF, 2. Having a labiaplasty is a big decision that you should think about carefully. It can be expensive and carries a number of risks.
There's also no guarantee you'll get the result you expected, and it will not necessarily make you feel better about your body. You may have a condition that's causing discomfort, which can be treated. Or there may be a reason why the operation is not suitable for you.
Find out more about deciding whether cosmetic surgery is right for you. A labiaplasty is not usually available on the NHS. But it may be offered in some circumstances — for example, if the vaginal lips are abnormal, to repair tears after childbirth, or to remove cancerous tissue if a woman has vulval cancer. If you're having a labiaplasty in England, check with the Care Quality Commission CQC to see if the hospital or clinic is registered with them.
All independent clinics and hospitals that provide cosmetic surgery in England must be registered with the CQC. Be careful when searching the internet for labiaplasty surgery. Labiaplasty is the most prevalent of a group of surgical procedures known as female genital cosmetic surgery FGCS. Since then, the procedure has increased in popularity, though global figures collated by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons ISAPS show numbers beginning to plateau around - figures are not yet available for The successful mainstreaming of FGCS in high-income countries is mirrored by low- and middle-income countries, including India for example.
Labiaplasties try to change the appearance of the vulva the outer part of female genitalia, often mistakenly referred to as the vagina. The procedure aims to reduce the labia minora inner genital lips so that they don't hang below the hair-bearing labia majora outer genital lips. A labiaplasty commonly reduces the length of both inner labia, but may also be carried out to reduce asymmetry when one is longer than the other. This is achieved by cutting and removing the excess tissue. Extra folds of the clitoral hood may also be reduced at the same time.
The surgery is usually carried out under general anaesthetic, but can be performed with a local anaesthetic. Find a range of women's health pharmacy services, delivered by local providers at a time that suits you. It has been suggested that the idealisation of women's genitals, as a result of online pornography, is a major influence on women seeking the surgery. The pubic hair removal trend and cultural perceptions of what a vulva should look like may also play a part in some women's decisions.
Certainly the growth of the private cosmetic surgery sector has increased the many possibilities for changing our bodies according to cultural fashions. Framing certain bodily characteristics as abnormal or undesirable can steer people towards a made-up reality - in this case, the perpetual pre-pubescent neat vulva.
Even so, many women know that they have ordinary genitals that are not especially flawed. But this knowledge is not always enough to mitigate against an unrelenting sense of not being good enough.
Dr Nicholas Morris is a consultant gynaecologist with many years' experience in the field of labiaplasty.
0コメント