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Thread: Labiaplasty

  1. #16
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    Jun 2005
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    Quote Originally Posted by RoadRaven
    And regarding the "range of normal" comments in several posts... again, I support the questioning about how does one know? Many of the girly mags/web-sites (which are the easiest place to find pix and make comparisons) are "touched up" (scuse the almost-pun)... uneven lips, extra wrinklybits and even colours are edited... and this gives completely "neat" but completely unrealistic ideas of "perfect"...

    And Eaglewalker... its not just Africa that still mutilates girls (sometimes as young as 3) and women's genitals... it also happens in some parts of Asia, and in some parts of the Middle East... often without the use of anaestheticor hygiene as we know it in Western hospitals.

    I read somewhere that the reason girly mags have women with smaller labia was because of some law that decided larger labia were more provocative and so were too suggestive to have in the magazines...and so over the years people have been "programmed" to see only the one type as the ideal woman's genitalia. I'll have to see if I can find where I read that - I'd done a Google search one day after reading that some plastic surgeons are offering labiaplasty as a cosmetic procedure. I think it's one of the signs of the huge effect mass media has on our lives Before, no one knew what labia were "supposed" to look like, so there was no right or wrong way to look. Now we have to look like the women in magazines, because isn't that how the "beautiful" people look?

    However I can see how someone might want to get it done if there was a definite physical reason. That's a delicate area, and constant irritation might make it more prone to infection, wouldn't you think?

    A little addendum...heard a documentary on the radio a while ago...genital mutilation often involves removal of the entire clitoris and the stitching up of the vagina - a bit more extreme than labiaplasty - although both make me want to cross my legs!

    PS - why is this discussion under nutrition??
    Last edited by amg; 12-10-2005 at 08:19 PM.

  2. #17
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    Genital mutilation virtually always includes the clitoris. The usual "point" of it is to reduce female pleasure thereby making females less likely to be promiscuous. I'm sure it works as there is often so much pain with urination, let alone sex, after the butchery that the women try to avoid sex at all costs.

    That aside, I am deeply deeply saddened by some of the things that have become important in our society. The idea of cosmetic labiaplasty is truly horrifying. As a doc, I have seen zillions of labia over the years. All of the "before" pictures on those web sites are completely normal. I honestly can't imagine why any of those women had surgery. It makes me so sad to think that women are so disconnected from what is really important in life to think that cutting off a 1/2 inch or less of one of their body parts will make life better. Especially when it is a body part that only very few others would ever see, and is doubtful they would care about the symmetry. Plus, those few others should be people who care about the woman. The surgeons should be ashamed of themselves. Any woman who comes to them for surgery should instead be sent to counseling.

    Of course none of the above rant applies to someone who has a functional problem. It is very rare, but not unheard of, that labia can be large enough to cause physical problems. But this is extremely uncommon. Of course anyone who has difficulty performing normal physical acts deserves the best modern medicine can offer.

  3. #18
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    I can attest to just how painful ANY surgery to the afforemented areas is. I had to have a very rare [I was told] angiomyofibroblastoma removed that had swollen to the point it appeared I had grown a testicle, it was so painful before the surgery especially since the skin was stretched so much. The tumour [thankfully benign] was mistaken for an abscess and then a bartholen's {sp?} cyst and they tried lancing it multiple times and it did nothing but BLEED. After about a month of terrible pain, I was scheduled for surgery to remove [at that time] the unknown growth.
    When I woke from surgery, I was in the worst pain I'd EVER felt. There was a doctor with evidently an AUDIENCE [not sure because my eyes weren't opening yet] that was telling them there was no possible way I was hurting as badly as I was putting on [turned out SOMEONE forgot to give me a PAIN BLOCK so I wouldn't wake in so much pain], as he grabbed my bits which were swollen to the size of a ham hock and ROUGHLY administed a pain injection. If I'd had my faculties enough to have moved my legs, that doctor would have found out exactly WHAT PAIN WAS, as he would have been kicked squarely in HIS BITS!!! Awww, that CAN'T POSSIBLY HURT THAT BAD....
    Anyways, making this as short as possible, [too late I know] during recovery, some of my stitching came partially undone so I had raw edges and nerves exposed during the already painful healing process. Why someone would want to put themselves through all of this for COSMETIC only reasons I will never understand. There are times that I still get a twinge of pain for no apparent reason in the area.
    Don't think of it as getting hot flashes. Think of it as your inner child playing with matches

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by mary9761
    .....
    Why someone would want to put themselves through all of this for COSMETIC only reasons I will never understand. There are times that I still get a twinge of pain for no apparent reason in the area.
    I'm glad your tumor was benign. You make a good point. Areas with increased sensitivity have an increased number of nerve endings. Messing with that is messing with fire.

  5. #20
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    Nov 2005
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    Where does the message "I'm not OK" come from in so many of us? I think it's very sad too. I'm fed up with the constant judgements of others which become ingrained self judgements. It can ruin your self esteem & life. For what?? To please some imperfect, judgemental other who will never be pleased anyway because they basically hate themselves & project it everywhere? This does not make for an inwardly peaceful life

  6. #21
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    Nov 2005
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    Southern California
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    labiaplasty comments

    I want to thank all of you for offering your comments, but how did this go from a labia procedure for reasons purely related to discomfort, to 'genital mutilation' having to do with the clitoris etc, and a discussion of why not to do it for cosmetic reasons? This problem is truly uncomfortable, for anyone riding over 20 miles at a time, much less over 150 miles a week...that being said and even in spite of this, no sensible person in her right mind would subject themselves to this kind of surgery (and risk) to meet "the ideal".
    The biggest problem is finding a doctor who is competent, and I don't think there is any way to really know that. Believe me (and no offense doc, your comments were duly noted) not only would a man not understand how this feels, but physicians and surgeons are human and make mistakes and mess up just like any human. The ongoing discomfort is a concern, but there are sure bigger ones in life...some of you sound like you've had nightmares at the hands of the medical profession. I feel for all of you!

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by MountainandRoad
    I want to thank all of you for offering your comments, but how did this go from a labia procedure for reasons purely related to discomfort, to 'genital mutilation' having to do with the clitoris etc, and a discussion of why not to do it for cosmetic reasons? ...

    welcome to the internet, it's called "thread drift".
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  8. #23
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    Aug 2004
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    North Texas
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    Hey MountainandRoad... I'm staying out of the political and diving into the discomfort.

    Buy a Koobi saddle (www.koobi.com). I've recommended them all over this board ( I ought to ask Koobi for a freebie). I can not tell you what a difference their saddles make to the comfort of the "nether region".

    They have models for road, mountain, racing... chk them out. You can buy it, ride it for a while (I think 30 days) and return it if not satisfied. Try it before you do the surgery... I think you'll be pleased.

    spazzdog (who is fond of her nether region and treats it nicely)
    no regrets!

    My ride: 2003 Specialized Allez Comp - zebra (men's 52cm), Speedplay X5 pedals, Koobi Au Enduro saddle

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  9. #24
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    Sep 2004
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    Quote Originally Posted by MountainandRoad
    The biggest problem is finding a doctor who is competent, and I don't think there is any way to really know that. Believe me (and no offense doc, your comments were duly noted) not only would a man not understand how this feels, but physicians and surgeons are human and make mistakes and mess up just like any human.
    Absolutely no offense taken. I am always acutely aware of my human falability. I prefer patients to consider me an imperfect human who is working with them rather than a super-being with a magic wand. I want to provide them with the most relevant and accurate information I can. I also include my opinion. Then I want them to think, consider and make choices for themselves.

    The best place to find a quality plastic surgeon would be at a hospital affiliated with a medical school in a big city. You want a surgeon who does largely reconstructive work and extremely little cosmetic work. You want the surgeon to have a title of some sort with the medical school. Good luck and I hope things work out comfortably for you whatever you decide.

    PS don't take thread drift personally. We all have our own agendas.
    Last edited by doc; 12-31-2005 at 07:56 AM.

  10. #25
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    Nov 2005
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    Southern California
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    Talking Koobi dooby

    think I'll try the Koobi route before the medical/surgery route (thank you for that!), but thank you for the guidelines also doc...coming from an insider, this information is invaluable...
    Will let you know how the Koobi saddle works out...

  11. #26
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    Apr 2005
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    Middle Earth
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    Quote Originally Posted by MountainandRoad
    I want to thank all of you for offering your comments, but how did this go from a labia procedure for reasons purely related to discomfort, to 'genital mutilation' having to do with the clitoris etc, and a discussion of why not to do it for cosmetic reasons? This problem is truly uncomfortable, for anyone riding over 20 miles at a time, much less over 150 miles a week...that being said and even in spite of this, no sensible person in her right mind would subject themselves to this kind of surgery (and risk) to meet "the ideal".

    Sorry Mountain... I guess I am one of the culprits here... I guess I have just heard/read so many women discussing this procedure as a viable option and using some medical reason (often quite lame) to cover what is obviously cosmetic motivation.

    I guess I just wanted to be sure that not only you had considered this procedure, but also that any others not giving your words a close reading would also consider the seriousness of such a procedure.

    I understand your discomfort as a real one which needs a solution and I sincerely hope you can find an informed, skilled and sympathetic professional who can assist you in whatever descision you make.

    Again, my apologies if i caused you personal offence.

    Good luck with the Koobi saddle, I anticipate and hope that this is solution enough because aside from anything else... any surgery will have you off the bike for a while, and we all know how frustrating that can be.


    Courage does not always roar. Sometimes, it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying,
    "I will try again tomorrow".


  12. #27
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
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    Memphis
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    Don't leave the Easy Seat saddle off your list of options. I can't ride two miles, let alone twenty, without irritation on anything resembling a standard saddle. Goodness, I can't even sit in pants without irritation, unless they are very loose. I've used an Easy Seat for 10 - 15 years without a hint of irritation, in spite of sneers from those who feel it disqualifies me from being a "serious cyclist".

    I suppose it war me wot hijacked this thread, and that was on account of the mention that dicing up one's vulva was being promoted in women's magazines. I'm like the Elephant's Child with my 'satiable curiousity, so I just had to see what was up. Once I found out, I was so horrified that I needed to express myself.
    "This is totally unfair! Just because I'm from another planet, I don't have rights? I mean, doesn't the Geneva convention protect extraterrestrials?" (Stargate)

  13. #28
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    6

    wasn't this on law and order?

    If I'm correct, I believe that this topic was on a fairly recent episode of Law and order. Obviously they were covering the non medical side of it, but it was pretty wild. I had no idea about this until I saw the show then did a little more investigating myself. It's totally scary. I've had some of my own issues in the nether regions and it's definitely not comfortable to ride with, but it's just one of those grin and bare it times. I mean I've been riding bikes and horses since I was a kid and I've always wanted to know how the heck guys do it!?! It's hard enough being a girl! So I'd never opt for the surgery. but definitely, definitely look for doctors!!! I had surgery on the nerves in my ankle, what should have been a 50 minute outpatient surgery and ended up being in surgery for 8 hours! And the nerves are permanently messed up now. So be careful if you decide to have surgery!

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Posts
    1

    Talking I did it!!!

    OK. When I was considering labiaplasty, I read these boards. The comments about it being sexual mutilation, etc. is just wrong. I have been considering doing an Ironman; however, because of pain on my labia, I could not tolerate more than five hours on a bike. Yes. I had great bike shorts. Yes. I had the best bike seat. Yes. I had my bike re-fitted many times. Ironman training was out because I couldn't do it. I did the surgery in the "off season" and took about six weeks off the bike. The painful recovery time was supposed to be 1-2 weeks. I have to admit, I had discomfort for about five full weeks. It was very frustrating and I thought I made a huge mistake. I started running and biking again about a month ago. I did a five and a half hour ride last weekend. My legs were killing me, but no labia pain. I am very happy with my decision to do it. It was just a little snip snip. And, evidently, its a pretty common procedure for women to get their "wings clipped". Much more common than we realize. Anyway...now I just need to get signed up for the ironman. This excuse is out of the way. Oh. And P.S. Regarding it impacting any sexual stimulation....not true. It's actually increased sensitivity (in a good way). All worth the $3,500 I paid.

  15. #30
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    Jan 2006
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    San Francisco, CA
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    I know someone!

    MountainandRoad -- you are not crazy. I know someone who had labiaplasty because of cycling. She's a pretty hard-core pro endurance athlete (think RAAM) and the excess labial tissue caused continual saddle sores. I know she suffered some pretty debilitating nerve damage post-surgery which kept her off the bike for a long time and I don't think she would choose to do the surgery again if given the option.

    While I'm not comfortable disclosing her name or giving out her email address without permission, I could pass your contact information onto her if you would like to chat.

    Lorri

    ps -- ladies, try to remember that surgery is a personal choice. M&R asked a personal question and it likely took her a long time to find the courage to ask it. let's not make her feel uncomfortable by passing judgement.

 

 

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