Women warned about 'hot trend' of cosmetic genital surgery
Physicians' group says procedures haven't been proved safe or effective
CHICAGO - Issuing a strong warning to women, a prominent physicians' group stated Friday that there is no evidence cosmetic genital surgery is safe or effective.
The statement by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says it is "deceptive to give the impression" that these procedures, which by some accounts are among the hottest new trends in plastic surgery, are "accepted and routine surgical practices."
"Vaginal rejuvenation," "designer vaginoplasty," "revirgination" and "G-spot amplification" are being marketed to women on late-night TV, in magazines and on the Internet. Doctors offering the procedures say they can enhance women's sexual pleasure and alleviate uncomfortable symptoms, and many of their patients agree.
But critics say these women are exposing extraordinarily sensitive body parts to interventions with questionable benefits and unknown risks.
"Absence of data supporting the safety and efficacy of these procedures makes their recommendation untenable," the medical group's Committee on Gynecologic Practice concluded in a two-page statement published in the September issue of its magazine.
Other experts express concern that practitioners are offering surgical fixes to problems better addressed by correcting women's misconceptions about their bodies and boosting their self-esteem.
"If someone doesn't like the way they look or their heart is broken, surgery isn't going to fix that," said Dr. Linda Brubaker, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and urology at Loyola University Medical Center. "Those problems are above the belly button, not below."
An Internet search turns up dozens of sites promising to help women by surgically altering their genitals and repairing the after-effects of childbirth. For physicians, the business - typically cash only - can supplement income squeezed by cost-conscious insurers.
The British Medical Journal weighed in on the topic with a May article calling cosmetic genital surgeries an "extreme and unproved intervention" that "could undermine the development of other ways to help women and girls to deal with concerns about their appearance."
Judith Graham