There is growing concern about women who decide to undergo vaginal plastic surgery. Labiaplasty or labia reduction and other female cosmetic surgical procedures including, Vaginoplasty or tightening of the vagina and Clitoral Unhooding, are becoming more popular as they become accepted socially. Each year the cases of women undergoing this type of surgery is increasing.

This surgery is controversial in nature, however, it is booming in popularity nonetheless. Many surgeons fear that some women may be unnecessarily having this operation as well as concerns about this procedure being done by unqualified surgeons.

Labia surgery, which usually involves reducing the size of the labia and vaginal tightening, are becoming as common today as other cosmetic procedures like breast augmentation and abdominioplasty’s. Unfortunately, there is no long term safety studies and many doctors are worried about this procedures popularity. According to one physician, “The designer vagina craze is a concern because it often targets a women’s insecurities of their particular genital appearance rather than any specific health related issue.” “The surgery is potentially damaging and could possibly lead to further problems as a result of the surgery and not necessarily fixing the patient’s insecurity.”

In one practice they have seen an annual increase in requests for this type of surgery by 100%. However, 80% of the cases were requested purely for cosmetic reasons and not health related or functional reasons like not being able to run or wear certain clothing. Women cite two primary reasons whey they are deciding to have this type of surgery, 1) They can’t seem to get comfortable during sex and 2) They want to decrease their discomfort with a busy lifestyle.

It’s a lucrative field for some, however, surgeon’s skilled in these procedures are worried that some are not up to the task and risk potentially irreversibly harming patients.

A published research paper in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology questions the value of cosmetic female genitalia surgery, with concerns that many women are seeking the surgery without fully understanding the risks. Many medical experts are also questioning the ethics of the surgery.

Some physician’s feel that women are being exploited and that anyone performing these types of surgeries should certainly be well trained in the surgical techniques but also be trained in the ability to dissuade a woman from having it done if it’s not necessary. “The procedure itself needs to be scrutinized and the patient selection must be thoroughly assessed. In the right patient it will have the most benefit.”