Days after the Brook sexual health charity released a guide to Vulvas to help combat low self-esteem, a surgeon in America has claimed that he has seen a spike of women requesting labiaplasty due to spin classes.
Labiaplasty, commonly referred to as a 'designer vagina', is the cosmetic surgery that entails removing some of the patient's labia majora and/or minora, which are the folds of skin which surround the vulva.
The Independent spoke to US surgeon Dr David L Cangello about how the 39 per cent spike in labiaplasty procedures in 2016 might be connected to exercise.
Cangello, who performs 20 to 30 labiaplasty procedures a year, has concluded that the demographic of women who undergo the surgery, 'tend to be women who are into their appearance and also active.'
He says that is it the combination of both being aesthetically displeased with their anatomy and then uncomfortable exercising, in this case on a stationary bike, which pushes them to the surgery.
He told the newspaper, 'It is a combination of the two reasons - usually it's not solely discomfort that causes women to come in for the procedure. It usually starts as an aesthetic issue then when they also have discomfort they are more compelled to seek something.'
The surgery is said to be a 'relatively minor procedure' which is done under local anaesthetic, and takes up to four weeks to be 'back to full activity' including sex and spin class.
In the UK this procedure is set to cost you somewhere between £1,000-£3,000.
Whilst genuine discomfort whilst you try and exercise is something that certainly should be addressed, we think that self-acceptance (albeit difficult) may be a cheaper option for those unhappy with their vaginas.
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
