Making Your Vagina Beautiful

The PSC is here to bust the taboo on female genitalia modification. Dr. Christine Hamori, a board-certified plastic surgeon from Boston, discusses her expertise in the labiaplasty procedure and how it’s changing the lives of women.

By: Christine A. Hamori, MD
and Adam McMillon
ThePlasticSurgeryChannel.com 

Labiaplasty – Modifying the Vagina

Strictly speaking, a labiaplasty is a procedure performed to alter the labia minor and labia majora, or the folds of skin outside of the vagina. The folds can be vastly different from woman to woman; some have large folds that flare out and dangle and some project out minimally. “Ever since women have been grooming themselves differently over the past 10 years, they’ve begun to notice what things look like down there,” says Dr. Hamori. “The elimination of pubic hair has a lot of woman desiring a clean look… They don’t want dangling of the labia minora.” To correct what many women deem unattractive, plastic surgeons perform a labiaplasty to “clean-up” the labia majora and labia minora in order to make it smaller and less protrusive.

“Women are coming to me for this procedure because they’re unhappy with their appearance,” says Hamori. “It’s much like anything else aesthetic… women want to look pretty. It’s also about sexual confidence. The procedure has no relation to physically making sex better, but a woman’s confidence can be restored and thus improve her sexual confidence.”

What is the procedure like? Does it hurt?

The procedure may sound intense, but that is based more on the taboo about genitalia alteration than actual science. “I do this procedure in my office in 45 minutes with local anesthesia,” says Hamori. “I use a numbing cream, perform the procedure and the patient is sent on her way with a specially designed ice pack and some boy shorts. Stitches dissolve in two weeks and they may only need one pain pill during the entire recovery. A lot of my patients come in on Thursday for the procedure, and are back to work by Monday.” Dr. Hamori suggests women wait 3 weeks before exercising, and 6 weeks before having sex. Minimal down time and impressive results have led an increasing amount of women into Hamori’s office.

Is there a stigma attached to the Labiaplasty procedure?

“You know, there still are a lot of people who don’t want to think about female genitalia, or that nothing should be altered down there and that sex should be done in the dark,” details Hamori. “The fact is, with the rise of pornography on the Internet, people are feeling more open about their sexual desires and do care about what’s down there. It’s as simple as women wanting to look better and feel more confident with their husband or partner.”