Hail the designer vagina. While I was busy thinking that cosmetic surgeons were still sucking fat from hips and erasing bags from under eyes, I have missed the latest money-making trend. Two professors of uro-gynaecology at King’s College London recently observed that women are seeking surgical procedures to improve their intimate aesthetic appearances. Writing in Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Medicine, the professors attributed this trend to “aggressive marketing” in the US and UK, combined with media coverage.

Some types of vaginal surgery are reasonable. For example, it may be necessary to treat the symptoms or side effects of cancer. Such procedures have been developed over the years, and are backed by research. Vaginal aesthetic procedures, meanwhile, have been created to meet a demand, although the source of this enthusiasm is not exactly clear.

The hymenorraphy procedure recreates a hymen, which supposedly reconstitutes the appearance of virginity. Has the demand for this been created out of a desire to appear “virginal”, or has momentum been ensured by surgeons willing to perform it? Many women have had their hymen broken during sporting activities. Performing surgery only keeps the myth of the “intact hymen” alive. Then there is the offer of G-spot amplification, in which collagen is injected into the vaginal wall. This US invention comes with the proviso that it cannot “represent a promise, guarantee or warranty that any patient who undergoes the G-Spot Amplification/G-Shot will achieve a particular result. Individual results do vary, and no responsibility is assumed for failure to achieve a desired result.”

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