Labiaplasty
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Labiaplasty (sometimes spelled labioplasty) is plastic surgery of the Labia majora and/or the Labia minora, the external folds of the vulva. The procedure involve changing the shape of the labia. When labia are created where there were none, it is usually part of a vaginoplasty.
Labiaplasty may be undertaken for functional reasons, aesthetic reasons, or a combination of the two. The procedure is frequently performed to reduce the size of one or both sets of labia. It may also be used to repair the labia following disease or injury, especially from childbirth. A hoodectomy may be performed to expose the clitoris in order to address clitoral phimosis. Hoodectomy is sometimes used to address sexual dysfunction such as lack of orgasm, although the efficacy of this procedure for this purpose is disputed.
Labiaplasty is an outpatient procedure usually performed under local anesthesia. After surgery, patients may experience some mild discomfort and swelling, which usually disappears completely after 1-2 weeks.
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[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 around women who worry that their labia are abnormal. 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 suggest that this procedure is chosen by women wishing to change the appearance of their vulvas.
Many individuals, of both genders, professionals and non-professionals alike, raise concerns that the desire for this procedure is driven by marketing, and an unhealthy self-image derived from media images of what the "ideal" female genitalia should look like. The increasing attention this procedure is receiving in various media is believed to be generating a growing market for this surgery. For most women, it 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.
Another concern about choosing this surgery for cosmetic reasons is that the ring of scar tissue created at the vaginal opening can later cause pain and complications during childbirth. As this surgery is more and more frequently performed on younger women, a concern is that surgeons are not warning women of the long-term physical risks they may undertake by electing for labiaplasty.
[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.
