ON THE DEVELOPING MARKET OF AESTHETIC GYNECOLOGY THERE is still a lot of new and incomprehensible: vaginoplasty, labioplasty, various methods for “rejuvenating the vagina” (whatever that means), whitening of the genitals and anus. In addition to the extremely controversial motivation of clients, reputable medical organizations are in no hurry to approve of some of these manipulations and remind that for half of them the effectiveness and harmlessness have not yet been proven. We understand what procedures can be dangerous to health, and in what cases the end justifies the means.
Golden porn standard
On the forums, the girls who survived the operations divide their lives into “before” and “after”; tell how they could not relax in a relationship, were afraid to show their secret to a partner or husband, and gained self-confidence only by getting rid of the “ugliness”. “There were crimson pieces of flesh hanging down, now nothing hangs down and does not have such a terrible color. I feel peace, harmony with myself, long-awaited peace. I went to this, devoured from within by worms – merciless complexes. And then so quickly: PSHIK – and everything was decided. This is a miracle – plastic surgery. I am still amazed and delighted! ” – writes one of the girls who underwent labiaplasty (change in the shape of the labia).
“It’s just awful: you want to please a guy, to be a queen for him, but inside there is a vile feeling of your ugliness. And you understand that this is not some kind of pimple that will disappear in two days. You understand that THIS is your body. You start to feel terribly complex. Every time you have sex, you don’t surrender to emotions, but return in your thoughts to your lack. Your complex – like a monster, toothy and ruthless, stands on the way to knowing the fullness of the sensations of intimate life. Caressing causes irritation, touching the labia minora is unpleasant, during intercourse they curl inward. Where can you relax and completely surrender to your loved one? ”- judging by this review , such anatomy can cause real discomfort, although in the photo attached to the description, the labia seem quite ordinary.
The knowledge of the “standard” of the client of plastic surgery clinics is drawn from discussions on men’s and women’s forums and from porn films
According to Aigul Azizova, a doctor at the Gineko clinic, there are more and more people who want to change the shape of the genitals; usually girls ask to shorten the labia minora and reduce the clitoral hood. In general, women want to have neat, miniature genitals – “to please men.” The knowledge about the “standard” of the client of plastic surgery clinics is drawn from discussions on men’s and women’s forums and from porn films. If, before their appearance, few people had heard about aesthetic gynecology (this nose had to be “small and even”, the chest – “big and round”, and for the vulva there seemed to be no single standard). Now more and more girls evaluate their labia and clitoris critically, and the discrepancy between the standard set by the porn industry becomes a source of complexes and suffering.
“Gray Mice”
Dr. Azizova, a gynecologist by specialty, says that when she got into the field of intimate plastic surgery, at first she thought: “What nonsense are these operations, everyone has different genitals – what’s wrong with that?” But “looking at happy patients”, she changed her mind. “I remember how one of the patients, a fifty-two-year-old woman, came to the clinic with a ‘gray mouse’ and left her as a bright, proud woman – after the plasty of the labia, her sense of self changed so much that she was unrecognizable. Apparently, there was some kind of internal clamp on this basis, and she was able to get rid of it only by this method, ”the surgeon assures.
Psychologist Sasha Serov reminds that it is important to visit a psychologist before such an operation, if only because the specialist will help to understand what exactly does not suit the girl – the part of the body that she wants to change, or the image of herself in general. “Plastic surgeries that were not performed for medical reasons are based on severe anxiety,” explains psychotherapist Yekaterina Sigitova. – The standard thought in such cases sounds like this: something is very, very wrong with me, I will not calm down until I cut it off. To reduce anxiety, people take risks to life and health – the result temporarily reduces the discomfort from their own inconsistency with the “ideal”. The key word here is “temporary”. Anxiety is primary, after an operation or procedure it will not go anywhere and after a while it will creep up again, finding another “object” in the body. To avoid this, it makes sense to start with psychotherapy, and not immediately with operations. ”
And in any case, it is important to adhere to the principle: “medicine” and the associated risks should not be more severe than the “disease” and the expected improvement, reminds the psychotherapist.
Vaginal rejuvenation
PR-director of the clinic “Gineko” Yekaterina Dubovik says: if, after talking with a patient, doctors understand that the operation is not needed, then she is told about it directly at the appointment – the doctors and the good psychologists themselves. In the commercial sector, few people seek to dissuade patients from surgical interventions, Aigul Azizova admits.
In addition to the dubious ideology that lies in the very name of the block of procedures, the term “vaginal rejuvenation” stands for a “gray zone”: procedures for “rejuvenation” of the vulva and vagina include surgical methods, and the introduction of fillers, and exposure to lasers. On women’s forums, you can find a lot of enthusiastic reviews about new sensations: after a couple of procedures, women have a feeling of a narrower vagina, and sex has become more pleasant for them and for partners.
According to recent data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the safety of laser technology has not yet been confirmed, and gynecologists are warning of possible side effects.
It is worth noting that the task of making sensations during sex more acute (if such is set voluntarily) is quite possible to cope with by training the muscles of the pelvic floor – in addition, this is an excellent prevention of urinary incontinence, which many women face, especially in the first time after childbirth. But it’s not only that. According to recent data from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the safety of laser technologies has not yet been confirmed, and gynecologists are warning of possible side effects – including scars that affect the quality of orgasm, mucosal burns and more.
Techniques that promise to narrow the vagina to one degree or another stimulate collagen production in the tissues of its walls. And this process is triggered by the microdamage that occurs when exposed to a laser, blood circulation is further enhanced, fibroblasts are activated and collagen production begins, as a result of which the layer of fiber between the mucous membrane and muscles becomes thicker and denser.
Deep warming up
Obstetrician-gynecologist of the Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology named after Kulakova, MD, Inna Apolikhina, who conducts intimate rejuvenation procedures, says that there are different types of lasers: erbium lasers are more suitable for young women, and a CO2-based laser is better for menopausal women. As the doctor explains, burns, scars and other troubles are associated with incorrectly aligned settings, and the main problem is the lack of uniform standards and the need to adjust the device for each patient. Today, a procedure with the same name can be performed on different equipment, with which doctors treat in different ways – therefore, one cannot speak of uniform effectiveness and safety.
Dr. Apolikhina recommends the “world standard” in laser intimate “rejuvenation” – the SmartXide 2 system, certified by the FDA in 2015: with its help, procedures with the lyrical name MonaLisaTouch are performed. However, the study of FDA documents leads to the conclusion that the organization only permits the use of the device itself (with its help it is possible to solve not only gynecological, but also dermatological, dental and other problems), but it does not give estimates of its use for the purpose of intimate rejuvenation – such a clarification contained in a special document from 2018).