Vaginal rejuvenation is a growing niche in plastic surgery, but is a “designer vagina” something real and/or ethical? Dr. Tiffany McCormack of Reno, Dr. Jason Pozner of Boca Raton, and Dr. Dan Del Vecchio of Boston discuss with No Spin Live host Dr. William P. Adams Jr. what exactly is meant by “designer vagina”, and why a new article out of India says, “Sex-shy Indian women now want designer vaginas”.
While the name is catchy, it doesn’t substantiate much. It also may do more to harm the very real and promising results coming from traditional labiaplasty procedures, as well as some newer minimally-invasive devices that can help with both aesthetics and function.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
WILLIAM P. ADAMS JR., MD: This story out of India that sex-shy Indian women now want designer vaginas. And actually, Tiffany, I’m glad you’re here, because this is something a world famous woman plastic surgeon can probably address best, but do women really want “designer vaginas”?
TIFFANY MCCORMACK, MD: I think there’s certainly a place for correcting altered or distorted anatomy, especially after childbirth or just laxity with aging, etc. Designer vagina takes it to a whole different level. I think the article mentioned something along the lines of a Barbie doll vagina, sort of fusing maybe the inner and outer labia. That’s actually just distorting things and making a mess as far as I’m concerned. But when it comes to just your standard labiaplasty, or even some of the newer, less-invasive devices that treat laxity and dryness and pain and stress urinary incontinence – I think there’s a roll for all of that. Designer vagina I do have an issue with that phrase.
ADAMS: Jason, are they just making normal abnormal by all this hype?
JASON POZNER, MD: Just a bunch of PR stuff. You know, the one thing in plastic surgery, we look at a lot of undressed patients. And I can tell you that vaginas come in all shapes and sizes; I don’t think one has ever looked like another one. So I don’t really know what normal is anymore, but I think we can make some of them a little bit better looking. Especially I live in Florida where women wear a lot of bathing suits… If the labia are too big, things show up a little more. So we do a lot of vaginal repair.
ADAMS: Del Vecchio, you’re looking very skeptical?
DAN DEL VECCHIO, MD: “Designer vagina.” What is that supposed to rhyme? Look, everyone knows, “designa vagina”, was invented in Boston, because only in Boston does “designa” rhyme with “vagina”. There’s no question that there’s a lot of potential for vaginal functional improvement. As women age, the muscles get lax, the mucosa is less robust, there’s less wetting. It’s not just what it looks like; it’s function, not just shape.
ADAMS: Tiffany, you have the last word on this one.
MCCORMACK: Again I’ll say I think there’s a place for correcting distorted anatomy that perhaps a woman is self-conscious about. But I think trying to make something normal “designer” is not right.