A major Canadian medical organization has issued guidelines calling into question an unusual yet increasingly popular trend in cosmetic surgery: permanently changing the look or feel of female genitalia.
Some physicians who do the work say demand is being fuelled in part by ready access to pornography and other explicit images that make some women want better-looking private parts.
There is little evidence, however, that the operations improve sexual functioning or self-esteem, argued the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) in its recent policy statement.
Such procedures do carry various risks and are “fraught with challenges,” including the possibility that a woman has been coerced into getting surgery by her partner, the society said.