So, who wants a designer vagina?

If somebody mentioned to you the word “labiaplasty”, you might need to think twice what the meaning of it might be.  Is it a new first-aid treatment for minor cuts and abrasions, or perhaps a fashion accessory?  It is neither, but your second guess would be closer to the real meaning.

Labiaplasty is actually a term for surgery involving the reduction in size of the labia majora and/or minora - the external folds of skin surrounding, and protecting, the structures of the vulva. The medical and sociologic reasons for labial reduction include the correction of labial damage occurring during childbirth, the elimination of pain and discomfort consequent to larger or enlarged labia, and for personal, aesthetic reasons under the banner of cosmetic surgery.

Should we be surprised that such a procedure exists?

I personally don’t think so. As humans, we have been experimenting with our bodies for centuries and an entire medical science, or to be more accurate – industry - has grown out of this in recent decades.  So, it was only a matter of time before we tried to industrially process our genitals.  And while men appear to be more focused on the size of their penises and aim for the XL model when considering genital plastic surgery, a woman’s perspective is somewhat different.

For women, it is about the reduction and beautification of their labias.  So, the inevitable question is Why ? What is the desired model of the perfect vagina or “designer vagina”, as the tabloids might call it?  The answer to that question is very simple – there is no such thing as perfectly formed labia.  Just like our faces, they are all formed from the same basic ingredients, but as nature intended, come with many variations in shape, size and colour.

It is the truth that, for many years, women did not have any real images of other women’s genitals to refer to and the majority of women believe to this day that, in some way, their genitals are not quite “normal”.

I recently read an article addressing the increase in labiaplasty procedures performed on younger women, opting for it for purely esthetic reason. The article also suggested that blame should be pointed at the pornography industry, which is where young women acquire the idea of the “designer vagina” being essential.  Some blame is also pointed at men for needing/wanting their partners to have young, trim and perfect looking labias.  I feel this to be somewhat simplistic, and an unfair answer to the problem.

The reason why any individual woman might choose to have her labia trimmed is very personal and will differ from person to person.  The fact that there are many unpublicised side effects (one being loss of sensation which might affect sexual pleasure) does not appear to deter some women from taking the cosmetic approach.

On balance, I would like to view it as a personal choice - one that should be considered in depth, and one that plastic surgeons should not offer as a first choice.  But before even contemplating it yourself, have a look at the book “Femalia” by Joani Blank which will give you an amazing insight into the world of labia in all shapes and sizes.