Labiaplasty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Labiaplasty (sometimes spelled labioplasty) is a plastic surgery procedure involving the labia, any of four folds of tissue of the vulva (female external genitalia).
As with other procedures, like plastic surgery of the nose, called rhinoplasty, labiaplasty may be undertaken for functional reasons, aesthetic reasons, or a combination of the two. The procedure can involve creation or reshaping of the labia. Labiaplasty is sometimes performed to revise aesthetic conditions such as large inner labia, as well as to repair the area following disease or injury, especially from childbirth. A hoodectomy may be performed to expose the clitoris in order to address sexual dysfunction such as clitoral phimosis or lack of orgasm. The procedure is frequently performed to reduce the size of one or both sets of labia.
Labiaplasty is an outpatient procedure usually performed under local anesthesia. After surgery, women may experience some mild discomfort and swelling, which usually disappears completely after 1-2 weeks.
[edit] Controversy
Labiaplasty evokes strong emotional responses, both pro and con, far more often than more common procedures like rhinoplasty. There is considerable controversy surrounding such surgeries for many patients, notably women who are unnaturally worried that their labia are not normal. Although countless plastic surgery websites can be found that indicate this procedure may be appropriate for women experiencing discomfort during physical activities, sexual intimacy, or even from irritation caused from close-fitting garments, some are suggesting this elective procedure is also for women wishing to aesthetically enhance the appearance of the vulva.
Many individuals, professionals and non-professionals of both genders alike, have concerns the desire for this procedure is driven by marketing, and an unhealthy self-image derived from media images of what the "idealized" female genitalia should look like. The increasing attention this procedure is receiving in various media is undoubtedly generating a growing market for this surgery, which for most women is cosmetically unwarranted and constitutes a needless exposure to the risks inherent in any surgery. Some have likened the procedure to other forms of genital modification and mutilation.
[edit] Transsexual labiaplasty
In the case of transsexual women, labiaplasty is frequently the second part of a two-stage vaginoplasty, where labia and a clitoral hood are created. This is often performed a few months after the first part of the procedure. In some cases, labiaplasty is an elective procedure to improve appearance after a one-stage vaginoplasty.
