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According to Liao and Creighton, patients are opting for these procedures due to media influence and aggressive marketing.
“Advertisements for cosmetic genitoplasty are common, often including before and after images and life changing narratives,” say Liao and Creighton. “Television programs and articles in women’s magazines on “designer vaginas” may also fuel desire for surgery, especially with the rising popularity of cosmetic surgery in general.”
While awareness of such procedures might be increasing due to these mediums, they are generally not the cause of recent demand.
To further prove this point, the medical records of 131 patients undergoing labiaplasty over a 32 month period were reviewed retrospectively. Three subsets of patients were evaluated: Patients seeking the procedure strictly for aesthetic reasons, patients with identifiable functional impairment/symptoms (pain and discomfort), and patients with both aesthetic and symptomatic motives to undergo treatment.
The conclusion: The majority of patients undergoing laser labia reduction do so for functional/symptomatic reasons with minimal outside influences affecting their decision for treatment.
“62% of all women requesting this procedure [labiaplasty] do so for functional or symptomatic reasons,” says Miklos. “Some of these include discomfort wearing clothing, during exercise and activity, or during intercourse.”
Though the exact number of women getting these procedures is unknown, there is growing anecdotal evidence showing vaginal cosmetic surgery is on the rise.
“It’s a common problem that many women have a hard time finding an answer to,” says Dr. Moore. “As awareness of the surgery is raised, more women are actively seeking out the procedures.”
Drs. Miklos and Moore are in high demand from not only patients, but the medical community as well. Despite the criticism from the BMJ, research and patient response continues to build support for cosmetic vaginal surgery.
On Monday June 11, 2007, Drs. Miklos and Moore will be speaking at the International Urogynocology meeting in Cancun, Mexico. This will mark the first time ever that data on aesthetic vaginal surgery has been presented internationally.
This year Dr. Miklos and Dr. Moore will perform more than 2,000 procedures and be visited by over 200 surgeons wishing to watch and learn from them first-hand. In the next few months they will be traveling to countries such as Buenos Aires and Dubai for speaking engagements and demonstrations on the subject.
About Atlanta Urogynecology, Inc.
The Atlanta Center of Laparoscopic Urogynecology was established in 1997 and since its inception, has helped pioneer the latest techniques in vaginal rejuvenation and repair.
Co-Directed by Dr. John R. Miklos and Dr. Robert D. Moore, the clinic performs more than 2,000 procedures on more than 500 women annually, from serious problems involving incontinence or prolapse to cosmetic vaginal rejuvenations.
Drs. Miklos and Moore have made it their premier pursuit to increase their patient's quality of life. Through continued research and study of innovative, unique surgical and non-surgical techniques, they have established the Atlanta Center for Urogynecology as one of the busiest centers for teaching, research, and surgery in the country. Each year more than 200 surgeons from around the world will travel to Atlanta to watch and learn from Drs. Miklos and Moore. Much of their experience, knowledge and surgical advances can be found in their recently published book, Vaginal Rejuvenation.
For more information regarding this release, or to set up an interview, please contact Tyler Barnett.
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tyler[.]barnettellman.com 
