Websites offering vaginal rejuvenation put women at risk, warn doctors
A growing number of websites are offering treatments to tighten and refresh vaginas, but leading plastic surgeons have warned that the safety and effectiveness of such procedures is not yet known.
Paul Banwell, a consultant plastic surgeon and member of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said that there had been a “huge proliferation” of vaginal rejuvenation devices onto the market offering to reshape and tighten the vagina.
“The whole area of vaginal rejuvenation practice needs to be carefully examined including the efficacy and safety of such treatments, which devices are being used, who is using them and most importantly how the potential benefits are being conveyed to the public,” he said.
He added: “It is even more timely in a poorly regulated aesthetic medicine industry that we need to encourage good quality (and well-funded) research to confirm or deny the benefits of such treatments in the advancement of women’s health.”
Typically during a rejuvenation procedure, a probe is inserted into the vagina to heat or laser the vaginal tissue. It is non-surgical and takes about an hour, although the safety of the practice is not yet known due to a lack of testing.
Earlier this week the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would take action if deceptive marketing of the “dangerous procedure with no proven benefit” continues.
It warned about the growing number of manufacturers who have been claiming the procedure can treat conditions and symptoms related to menopause, urinary incontinence or sexual function.
“These products have serious risks and don’t have adequate evidence to support their use for these purposes. We are deeply concerned women are being harmed,” the FDA said.
The Guardian accessed several websites offering such services for vaginal laxity, vaginal dryness and urinary incontinence. One website said a huge benefit was the lack of recovery time needed, saying the treatment was life-changing.
As well as non-surgical procedures, there has also been a rise in vulva-reshaping labiaplasty and other cosmetic procedures to enhance the look of female genitalia.
Data provided to the Guardian from NHS Digital shows that there were 220 finished consultant episodes for under 18s at hospital in 2016-2017 for labiaplasty, which involves the lips of the vagina being shortened or reshaped. These numbers do not include girls and young women having the procedure privately.
But experts say these operations are only medically necessary in very few situations, for example if a patient has some sort of abnormality on the labia, such as melanoma.
The British Association of Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology (BritsPAG) released a guide in March 2018 to empower young people to understand normal female anatomy through education.
Dr Naomi Crouch, consultant gynaecologist and spokesperson for the RCOG and chair of BritsPAG, said: “There is absolutely no scientific evidence to support the practice of labiaplasty and the risk of harm is significant, particularly for teenagers who are still in stages of development both physically and psychologically. We hope this resource will provide information for girls and young women that their vulva is unique and will change throughout their life, and that this is entirely normal and healthy.”
Louise Williams, clinical nurse specialist at University College Hospital and co-lead of the project, said: “We see many patients in our paediatric and adolescent gynaecology clinic who have a poor understanding of the function of parts of the anatomy and also of normal genital variation … vulvas come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and if they need advice and support, they can know where to go.”
Source: The Guardian Newspaper
