Plastic surgery has gone to such great heights that unexpected body parts can now be restructured. In fact, the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists (ACOG) saw a great increase in the number of teens undergoing Labiaplasty.
What Is Labiaplasty?
Sometimes called "vaginal rejuvenation", Labiaplasty is a surgical procedure that trims or shapes the labia minora or the inner lips of the vagina. The surgery is usually requested for cosmetic purposes, made mostly by older women or women who recently gave birth according to Parenting.com.
While most teens request for the procedure for cosmetic reasons, there are those that actually feel physical discomfort from the rapid changes brought by puberty.
"Adolescents, under the influence of pubertal hormones, undergo rapid transformation and growth of their breasts and genital tissues," the ACOG committee said. "At the time of puberty, the labia minora enlarge and grow to adult size. The normal labia minora can have marked variation in size, shape, and appearance."
Labiaplasty Trending Among Teens
Although the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has not kept records of the number of Labiaplasty in teens, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery states that 400 girls aged 18 and below underwent the procedure in 2015, New York Mag reports. That's 80 percent increase from 2014's cases of 222. While the number of cases may appear modest, the data has not included the procedures done by gynaecologists.
The cause of the rising popularity of Labiaplasty among teens is still unknown. ACOG speculates that this may be brought by the increased awareness of the surgery itself. They also think that the growing number of teens shaving and waxing their pubic hair may have also played a role. There are also ideal images of vulva circulating online, making them question their own asymmetry.
ACOG Sets New Guidelines For Labiaplasty
The increasing cases of Labiaplasty among teens have prompted ACOG to set guidelines on how doctors should discuss the procedure with their young patients. "Variety in the shape, size, appearance and symmetry of labia can have particularly distressing psychological effects on young women," said Dr. Julie Strickland, the chair of ACOG's Adolescent Health Care Committee and lead author of the paper. "It's one more body part that women are insecure about and it's our job, as ob-gyns, to reassure our young patients," Dr. Stickland said per Vocativ.
While they don't restrict the teens to undergo Labiaplasty, they would like to encourage the patients to wait until growth and development are complete. More so, the committee warns of possible effects like numbness, pain, scarring or decreases sexual sensation. The committee is also suggesting nonsurgical alternatives to decrease discomfort; use of supportive garments, a certain arrangement of labia minor during exercise and form-fitting clothes.
Do you think Labiaplasty is good for teens? Let us know what you think by leaving your comments below. Check out other trends in teens in the video below.
