Cosmetic surgery for vaginas has risen in popularity among young women

In the world of cosmetic surgery, breast augmentations and nose jobs are among the top requested surgery, and now vagina modifications are moving higher in rank. The rise in popularity for reducing the size of the vagina’s labia has turned into a designer demand, Medical Daily says.

The National Health Service (NHS) has performed five times as many labiaplasties since 2001, making it the most popular request by women 18 to 24 years of age. Each year, an average of 1,150 women had undergone labia reduction surgery in the past four years in order to create a “designer vagina” to conform to what they believe a normal vagina should look like.

According to a study published in December 2013 from the University of Queensland, women don’t realize how much vagina appearances can vary. After showing women images of surgically modified vaginas and non-surgically modified vaginas, women were more likely to believe the surgically modified labia was “normal” and “society’s ideal.”

The labia comprises the inner and outer folds of the vagina. The labia majora are the larger, outer lips that serve as the first wall of protection, while the labia minora is the smaller inside flap.

The surgery is for the smaller of the two, which can change shape after childbirth, or from the natural aging process it can lose tone or seem enlarged. In certain situations, women can be born with a large or thick labia, known as labial hypertrophy, which could cause discomfort or sexual discomfort and confidence.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter