Vaginal rejuvenation surgery sees an increase of 20%

Vaginal rejuvenation procedures are becoming increasingly popular among women above the age of 25 years. Cosmetic surgeons say that there has been a 20% rise in the number of women undergoing anti ageing cosmetic surgeries such as vaginal tightening or vaginoplasty, hymenoplasty, de-hooding clitoris and rejuvenation in the last two years. This figure was provided by Dr Vipul Nanda, the head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Artemis Health Institute, Gurgaon.

The most popular among these procedures are vaginal tightening and hymenoplasty, which is reconstruction of the hymen. These surgeries include giving fat injections into the labia majora which has thinned over the years, tightening of the muscles and restoring the vagina to its original shape for female sexual enhancement. Marriageable women who do not want to disclose to their husbands that have had affairs before are the ones undergoing hymenoplasty. The cost for such surgeries ranges between Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000.

"There are no fatal complications, but one has to be careful about the patient's health after the surgery. Slight bleeding and infection are common complications that women encounter. There are times when their expectations are unrealistic. We have to counsel them to make them understand the limitations and results that can be achieved," said Dr Nanda.

Some doctors believe that these surgeries do not have any side effects and are a necessity in the present world. "This is mainly a post pregnancy surgery. It is an extremely painful procedure and it is not meant for women below the age of 30 years. I get many patients in the age group of 23-26 years who are keen on this surgery because they are getting married and fear that their husbands will get to know of their previous affairs. But there are no risks or side effects whatsoever. The trend has mainly gained momentum in the age group of 30-32 years. On a yearly basis the demand for these surgeries grow by 10%," said Dr Amit Gupta, Consultant Plastic and Cosmetic Surgeon, Gurgaon and Noida.

The three other private practitioners this newspaper spoke to, Dr Vinay Pathak, Dr Sheela Sharma and Dr Anup Dhir echoed their colleagues' words. All the surgeons said that lipo injection and rhinoplasty are two other cosmetic surgeries that have become popular among young women. Lipo injection is given for weight reduction and rhinoplasty is done to thin the nose.

3 July in The Sunday Guardian.