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"   We&amp;#039;ve all had bad hair days, days when we&amp;#039;ve agonised over not having arms like Michelle Obama, and days when we&amp;#039;ve worried ourselves senseless about wrinkles. These things have become normal. But there&amp;#039;s a new normal in town \u2013 women want the perfect &amp;#039;designer vagina&amp;#039; more than ever before, and are willing to put their lives at risk through cosmetic surgery to get it. According to Hospital Episode Statistics reported by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the number of labiaplasties \u2013 a procedure performed to change the size and appearance of the labia minora owing to sexual dysfunction and discomfort \u2013 has risen five-fold over the past decade. A total of 2000 procedures of this kind were performed in 2010 alone, and this doesn&amp;#039;t account for the vast number of cosmetic surgeons performing this procedure in private settings across the UK. Experts say that the increase is down to women&amp;#039;s growing dissatisfaction with their vulval appearance and a severe lack of realistic, in-depth representations in popular culture. &amp;#039;Some women request these procedures solely for cosmetic reasons and are not considering the normal variations that exist. Instead, they are influenced by images of popular culture and the pornography industry,&amp;#039; says Dame Suzi Leather. &amp;#039;We need to inform women that everyone is unique and that variation in appearance is normal in the vast majority of cases.&amp;#039; Experts also question whether having a labiaplasty is a necessary path for women who may have caused irritation through the use of soaps, detergents and pubic hair removal. But of even greater concern is the fact there is not one clinical trial or quality research study to prove labiaplasty procedures have any positive effects for those who experience sexual difficulties, discomfort when wearing tight clothes or exercising. Consequently, there is no guarantee that women will ever be satisfied with their private parts, no matter how many procedures they have, or how many doctors they see. Professor Sarah Creighton from the Department of Women&amp;#039;s Health at University College London Hospital said: &amp;#039;Not only do clinicians see women asking for labial surgery, but also they see women coming back having had surgery elsewhere who are deeply unsatisfied with the outcome. Dr Lih-Mei Liao, a Consultant Clinical Psychologist at the University College London Hospitals&amp;#039; Women&amp;#039;s Health Division, also has great concerns about young women&amp;#039;s unrealistic visions of their vulval appearance. &amp;#039;When young girls make self-comparisons, the resources are distorted. The younger women are treated, the more likely they are to pursue more and more treatments and shop around for doctors. But the reality is that no two vulvas are the same. There&amp;#039;s no evidence that this is a helpful treatment&amp;#039; And this situation is exacerbated by &amp;#039;intensive marketing&amp;#039; by private clinics, which are leading young women to believe that having a labiaplasty is an &amp;#039;unproblematic lifestyle choice&amp;#039; and ultimately giving them a wrong idea of what can be achieved. It is hoped that forthcoming regulations on female genital mutilation and cosmetic interventions will reduce the number of procedures performed for purely aesthetic reasons in the UK. The report strongly recommends that all forms of female genital cosmetic surgery should not be undertaken within the National Health Service unless medically indicated. However, while this procedure is still available in private settings with no true evidence to support its temporary and permanent benefits, we need to seek more information and ask more questions. Knowledge is power. Natasha Devan is editor of the Journal of Aesthetic Nursing Would you consider having a labiaplasty? Or have you already had a procedure? Have your say by tweeting us @CosmopolitanUK. CAN COSMETIC SURGERY ALTER YOUR PERSONALITY? PLASTIC SURGERY VS NATURAL BEAUTY 100 MEN ON WHY THEY LOVE VAGINAS  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/reports/a24027/the-lowdown-on-labiaplasty/>