There are always a few “hot trends” in the world of plastic surgery and one of the hottest surgeries at the moment is labiaplasty. The procedure is performed on the inner lips or folds of the vulva and is designed to trim the lips which are also known as the labia minora. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons released a report showing the number of labiaplasty surgeries increased by 39\\% in 2016. In fact there were more than 12,000 labiaplasty procedures performed last year.
Learning how labiaplasty is performed leads to the question: Why are so many women having labiaplasty?
According to Manhattan plastic surgeon, Richard Swift, MD, women who suffer from enlarged labia often feel uncomfortable in clothes such as yoga pants. A normal labia is anywhere from 2 to 10-cm in length as well as 0.7 to 4-cm in width. However, it is not uncommon for the labia minora to actually extend past the outer lips of the vagina without a person feeling any kind of pain or discomfort.
Dr. Jennifer Gunter, an OB/GYN in San Francisco, says the trend towards smaller labia is now seen as the norm among patients. She also noted that:
“If you see a lot of images of small labia minora you are more likely to come to view that as desirable.”
A good amount of women prefer to have their pubic hair trimmed or removed. The reduction or removal of hair in this area makes the labia minora more noticeable. Plus, less hair makes women more aware of its appearance and has been seen as leading to the rise in popularity of the Brazilian butt lift procedure.
The inner lips of the vagina serve to protect the opening of the vagina. The opening is composed of mucosa tissue as well as nerve endings that are sensitive. This can cause females to blame yeast infections and sex that is painful on the labia size. These conditions may, or may not, be caused by the size of the labia so patients should consult with an experienced doctor.
Although one study found over 90\\% of women were generally happy with their appearance after the surgery, there are still no concrete numbers on long or short term complications that may result from undergoing labiaplasty. Doctors are also unsure how a labiaplasty will impact patients once their tissues begin to change as they enter menopause. Regardless of that fact, it will be interesting to see if labiaplasty numbers in the United States continue to rise this year or if the trend cools off in 2017.
MA