Clitoral hood reduction
Encyclopedia
Clitoral hood reduction is an elective plastic surgery
procedure for reducing the size and the area of the clitoral prepuce
in order to further expose the clitoris; the therapeutic goal is to improve the sexual functioning of the woman, and the aesthetic refinement of her pudendum femininum
(vulva). The reduction of the clitoral prepuce tissues usually is a sub-ordinate surgery within a labiaplasty
procedure for reducing the labia minora
; and occasionally within a vaginoplasty
procedure.
The procedures for labiaplasty
occasionally include a clitoral hood reduction. One technique for reducing the clitoral hood is the bilateral excision (cutting) of the prepuce tissues covering the clitoris, with especial attention to maintaining the clitoris
in the midline. Another technique cuts away (excises) the redundant folds of clitoral prepuce tissue, with incisions parallel to the long axis of the clitoris.
Clitoral hood reduction is included to the wedge resection labiaplasty technique, wherein the extension of the exterior wedge sections is applied to reducing the prepuce tissues of the clitoris. Yet, occasionally excess prepuce-skin, in the center of the clitoral hood, is removed with separate incisions.
indicate that labiaplasty
procedures have a high-rate of patient satisfaction with the surgical outcome, and a low incidence-rate of medical complications. The study Aesthetic Labia Minora and Clitoral Hood Reduction using Extended Central Wedge Resection (2008) reported that of a 407-woman cohort, 98 per cent were satisfied with the labial reduction outcomes; that the average patient satisfaction score was 9.2 points on a 10-point scale; that 95 per cent of the women experienced reduced pudendal discomfort; that 93 per cent of the women experienced improved self esteem; that 71 per cent experienced improved sexual functioning; that 0.6 per cent (one woman) reported lessened sexual functioning; and that 4.4 per cent of the women experienced medical complications.
Moreover, regarding the woman’s satisfaction with the plastic surgical outcome, the study Expectations and Experience of Labial Reduction: A Qualitative Study (2007) reported that the women who underwent labiaplasty
had great expectations for the elimination of pubic discomfort and pain, improved cosmetic appearance of the pudendum femininum
, and improved sexual functioning. Most of the women experienced improved self esteem; yet the study also reported that formal psychological counselling before the surgical operation, about what to expect and what not to expect from a labia minora and a clitoral prepuce reduction procedure, might better serve the woman (as the patient) by assisting her in establishing realistic (feasible) goals for her genital beauty
and mental health, which might be derived from a genitoplastic procedure.
of labiaplasty, and associated vaginoplastic procedures, as medically “accepted and routine surgical practices”. The ACOG doubted the medical safety and the therapeutic efficacy of the surgical techniques and procedures for performing vaginoplastic operations such as labiaplasty, vaginal rejuvenation
, the designer vagina, revirgination, and Gräfenberg Spot
amplification, and recommended that women seeking such genitoplastic surgeries must be fully informed, with the available surgical-safety statistics, of the potential health risks of surgical-wound infection
, of pudendal nerve
damage (resulting in either an insensitive or an over-sensitive vulva), of dyspareunia
(painful coitus), of tissue adhesions (epidermoid cysts
), and of painful scars.
To determine whether or not women truly seek labiaplasty solely to have “more socially acceptable genitalia” the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH) considered the practices of elective plastic surgery of the vulva and of FGC (female genital cutting) in the Third World
. The report, Is Elective Vulvar Plastic Surgery ever Warranted and What Screening Should be Done Preoperatively? (2007) indicated that physical variations in the external appearance of the vulvo-vaginal complex are statistically normal, but that labiaplasty — like access to all types of medical treatment — is a woman’s human right
. Nonetheless, the ISSWSH report concluded that vaginoplastic
surgery might be medically warranted only after the woman undergoes a pre-operative psychological screening, and only if the woman afterwards remains so decided — yet also recommended that the vaginal surgery can be performed if the surgeon deems it medically necessary for her health.
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
procedure for reducing the size and the area of the clitoral prepuce
Clitoris
The clitoris is a sexual organ that is present only in female mammals. In humans, the visible button-like portion is located near the anterior junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the urethra and vagina. Unlike the penis, which is homologous to the clitoris, the clitoris does not...
in order to further expose the clitoris; the therapeutic goal is to improve the sexual functioning of the woman, and the aesthetic refinement of her pudendum femininum
Vulva
The vulva consists of the external genital organs of the female mammal. This article deals with the vulva of the human being, although the structures are similar for other mammals....
(vulva). The reduction of the clitoral prepuce tissues usually is a sub-ordinate surgery within a labiaplasty
Labiaplasty
Labiaplasty is a plastic surgery procedure for altering the labia minora and the labia majora, the paired tissue structures bounding the vestibule of the vulva. The indications for the correction of labial hypertrophy are two-fold: the correction of defect and deformity, and the cosmetic...
procedure for reducing the labia minora
Labia minora
The labia minora , also known as the inner labia, inner lips, or nymphae, are two flaps of skin on either side of the human vaginal opening, situated between the labia majora...
; and occasionally within a vaginoplasty
Vaginoplasty
thumb|right|300px|Vaginoplasty: the pre-operative aspect , and the post-operative aspect of a [[Labiaplasty|labial reduction]].Vaginoplasty is a reconstructive plastic surgery procedure for correcting the defects and deformities of the vaginal canal and its mucous membrane, and of vulvo-vaginal...
procedure.
Surgical procedures
Labiaplasty
Labiaplasty is a plastic surgery procedure for altering the labia minora and the labia majora, the paired tissue structures bounding the vestibule of the vulva. The indications for the correction of labial hypertrophy are two-fold: the correction of defect and deformity, and the cosmetic...
occasionally include a clitoral hood reduction. One technique for reducing the clitoral hood is the bilateral excision (cutting) of the prepuce tissues covering the clitoris, with especial attention to maintaining the clitoris
Clitoris
The clitoris is a sexual organ that is present only in female mammals. In humans, the visible button-like portion is located near the anterior junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the urethra and vagina. Unlike the penis, which is homologous to the clitoris, the clitoris does not...
in the midline. Another technique cuts away (excises) the redundant folds of clitoral prepuce tissue, with incisions parallel to the long axis of the clitoris.
Clitoral hood reduction is included to the wedge resection labiaplasty technique, wherein the extension of the exterior wedge sections is applied to reducing the prepuce tissues of the clitoris. Yet, occasionally excess prepuce-skin, in the center of the clitoral hood, is removed with separate incisions.
Results
The functional corrections and aesthetic improvements to the vulvo-vaginal complexVulva
The vulva consists of the external genital organs of the female mammal. This article deals with the vulva of the human being, although the structures are similar for other mammals....
indicate that labiaplasty
Labiaplasty
Labiaplasty is a plastic surgery procedure for altering the labia minora and the labia majora, the paired tissue structures bounding the vestibule of the vulva. The indications for the correction of labial hypertrophy are two-fold: the correction of defect and deformity, and the cosmetic...
procedures have a high-rate of patient satisfaction with the surgical outcome, and a low incidence-rate of medical complications. The study Aesthetic Labia Minora and Clitoral Hood Reduction using Extended Central Wedge Resection (2008) reported that of a 407-woman cohort, 98 per cent were satisfied with the labial reduction outcomes; that the average patient satisfaction score was 9.2 points on a 10-point scale; that 95 per cent of the women experienced reduced pudendal discomfort; that 93 per cent of the women experienced improved self esteem; that 71 per cent experienced improved sexual functioning; that 0.6 per cent (one woman) reported lessened sexual functioning; and that 4.4 per cent of the women experienced medical complications.
Moreover, regarding the woman’s satisfaction with the plastic surgical outcome, the study Expectations and Experience of Labial Reduction: A Qualitative Study (2007) reported that the women who underwent labiaplasty
Labiaplasty
Labiaplasty is a plastic surgery procedure for altering the labia minora and the labia majora, the paired tissue structures bounding the vestibule of the vulva. The indications for the correction of labial hypertrophy are two-fold: the correction of defect and deformity, and the cosmetic...
had great expectations for the elimination of pubic discomfort and pain, improved cosmetic appearance of the pudendum femininum
Vulva
The vulva consists of the external genital organs of the female mammal. This article deals with the vulva of the human being, although the structures are similar for other mammals....
, and improved sexual functioning. Most of the women experienced improved self esteem; yet the study also reported that formal psychological counselling before the surgical operation, about what to expect and what not to expect from a labia minora and a clitoral prepuce reduction procedure, might better serve the woman (as the patient) by assisting her in establishing realistic (feasible) goals for her genital beauty
Beauty
Beauty is a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure, meaning, or satisfaction. Beauty is studied as part of aesthetics, sociology, social psychology, and culture...
and mental health, which might be derived from a genitoplastic procedure.
Criticism
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) published Committee Opinion No. 378: Vaginal “Rejuvenation” and Cosmetic Vaginal Procedures (2007), the college’s formal policy statement of opposition to the commercial misrepresentationsAdvertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
of labiaplasty, and associated vaginoplastic procedures, as medically “accepted and routine surgical practices”. The ACOG doubted the medical safety and the therapeutic efficacy of the surgical techniques and procedures for performing vaginoplastic operations such as labiaplasty, vaginal rejuvenation
Vaginoplasty
thumb|right|300px|Vaginoplasty: the pre-operative aspect , and the post-operative aspect of a [[Labiaplasty|labial reduction]].Vaginoplasty is a reconstructive plastic surgery procedure for correcting the defects and deformities of the vaginal canal and its mucous membrane, and of vulvo-vaginal...
, the designer vagina, revirgination, and Gräfenberg Spot
G-spot
The Gräfenberg Spot, often called the G-Spot, is a bean-shaped area of the vagina. Many women report that it is an erogenous zone which, when stimulated, can lead to strong sexual arousal, powerful orgasms and female ejaculation...
amplification, and recommended that women seeking such genitoplastic surgeries must be fully informed, with the available surgical-safety statistics, of the potential health risks of surgical-wound infection
Infection
An infection is the colonization of a host organism by parasite species. Infecting parasites seek to use the host's resources to reproduce, often resulting in disease...
, of pudendal nerve
Pudendal nerve
The pudendal nerve is a sensory and somatic nerve in the pelvic region which is a large branch of the sacral plexus that innervates the external genitalia of both sexes, as well as sphincters for the bladder and the rectum...
damage (resulting in either an insensitive or an over-sensitive vulva), of dyspareunia
Dyspareunia
Dyspareunia is painful sexual intercourse, due to medical or psychological causes. The symptom is reported almost exclusively by women, although the problem can also occur in men. The causes are often reversible, even when long-standing, but self-perpetuating pain is a factor after the original...
(painful coitus), of tissue adhesions (epidermoid cysts
Epidermoid cyst
An epidermoid cyst is a benign cyst usually found on the skin. The cyst develops out of ectodermal tissue. Histologically, it is made of a thin layer of squamous epithelium.-Terminology:...
), and of painful scars.
To determine whether or not women truly seek labiaplasty solely to have “more socially acceptable genitalia” the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health (ISSWSH) considered the practices of elective plastic surgery of the vulva and of FGC (female genital cutting) in the Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
. The report, Is Elective Vulvar Plastic Surgery ever Warranted and What Screening Should be Done Preoperatively? (2007) indicated that physical variations in the external appearance of the vulvo-vaginal complex are statistically normal, but that labiaplasty — like access to all types of medical treatment — is a woman’s human right
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
. Nonetheless, the ISSWSH report concluded that vaginoplastic
Vaginoplasty
thumb|right|300px|Vaginoplasty: the pre-operative aspect , and the post-operative aspect of a [[Labiaplasty|labial reduction]].Vaginoplasty is a reconstructive plastic surgery procedure for correcting the defects and deformities of the vaginal canal and its mucous membrane, and of vulvo-vaginal...
surgery might be medically warranted only after the woman undergoes a pre-operative psychological screening, and only if the woman afterwards remains so decided — yet also recommended that the vaginal surgery can be performed if the surgeon deems it medically necessary for her health.
External resources
- http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr09-01-07-1.cfm