Labiaplasty, a controversial cosmetic operation that involves shortening or reshaping the vaginal lips, is safe and can improve women’s mental health, experts say.
Demand for labiaplasty, which can cost more than £4,000 in the UK, is booming, with US data showing the number of operations performed has risen by 200 per cent between 2012 and 2017.
Experts have attributed the growing interest in the operation, which reduces the size of the labia minora (the skin on either side of the vaginal opening), to increased exposure to particular anatomy seen in pornography.
To meet demand, techniques using lasers and scalpels to perform the operation have been developed, but experts say these methods have not been evaluated in terms of outcomes and complications.
But now, the largest review of women who underwent the procedure, conducted by Hungarian researchers, shows that it is not only safe, but has a positive impact on women’s psychological health.
Demand for labiaplasty, which can cost more than £4,000 in the UK, is booming, with US data showing the number of operations performed rose by 200 per cent between 2012 and 2017.
However, they warned that unnecessary labiaplasty should be avoided.
The review, conducted by experts at Semmelweis University in Budapest, examined data from 3,600 women who underwent labiaplasty and found that it was generally very safe, with a complication rate of just 0.5 percent.
By comparison, some studies in the UK have found that cosmetic operations such as breast augmentation have a complication rate of around five per cent, although figures vary depending on the study.
Using a scalpel was found to carry a higher risk of complications such as bleeding, swelling or hematoma, the medical term for a buildup of blood in the body.
However, the authors said the overall difference between the techniques, in terms of total number of complications, was not statistically significant.
But a significant finding was that 95 percent of women who underwent the operation were satisfied with the results.
Mihály András Géczi, an obstetrics and gynecology expert at Semmelweis and first author of the study, said: “Our results show that labiaplasty is generally safe and generates high rates of patient satisfaction.”
Fellow author Levente Sára, an obstetrics and gynecology expert at Semmelweis, said the data also supported some aspects of the operation that improve women’s mental health.
“Considering the extent to which the procedure improves self-image and sexual life, doctors may also decide based on psychological reasons,” they said.
However, the authors added that the medical justification for labiaplasty remains controversial and is made more difficult by differing opinions about what constitutes “normal” labia and what is simply a natural variation.
“Women’s self-image is increasingly tied to perceptions of their genitals, a trend that significantly influences relationship dynamics and psychological health,” the authors noted.
What makes matters even more complicated is that sometimes it is not the women themselves who seek out surgery on their own.
Mr Sara explained: “Many women, especially young women, decide to undergo the procedure at the suggestion of their partner.”
With demand for labiaplasty expected to continue, she said it was critical for doctors to ensure patients were undergoing the operation for the right reasons.
However, the authors added that it was encouraging that, leaving aside ethical issues surrounding the surgery, it appears to have a good safety rating.
The authors, who published their findings in the journal Journal of Aesthetic SurgeryThey also analyzed data on radiofrequency labiaplasty, which uses heat energy to contract the lips.
They found it had a shorter recovery time, minimal risk of complications and high patient satisfaction, but noted that the relative novelty of the technique meant data on it was limited and this could change in the future.
Labiaplasty is available on the NHS, but only under strict circumstances.
These include deformity of the labia as a result of a birth defect, to repair damage caused by childbirth, or as part of the removal of cancerous tissue if a woman has vulvar cancer.
