Labiaplasty... to make spin class more "comfortable"???

[NormaNameChange]

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/plastic-surgery-labiaplasty-soulcycle-spin-exercise-women-a8178751.html

So apparently...Labiaplasty ties into grooming trends where women want everything to be clean and neat and streamlined

Now, I'm all for clean and neat but...AIBU to pass on the labiaplasty?

@VioletteValentia yes it's not the usual experience but it certainly happens! No one told me about this risk. I'm so grateful I got lucky and avoided it. Only years later did I find online forums full of women talking about their labiaplasty complications, some just so incredibly sad that they'd destroyed their sex lives forever and no one had warned them this could happen...

pestfromthewest getting rid of a body part makes cycling easier because you are no longer sitting directly on that (incredibly sensitive) body part with it being caught between your crotch/ knicker seam and thigh with every pedal. It’s really not that difficult to imagine.

I had mine done nearly 15 years ago through the nhs. The risks of complications were made very clear to me. I do wonder whether private doctors who want to encourage women to have procedures would stress the risks as much as they did with me.

Lots of different vulvas here (not vaginas)

www.greatwallofvagina.co.uk/great-wall-vagina-panel-1-0
www.greatwallofvagina.co.uk/great-wall-vagina-panel-2-0
www.greatwallofvagina.co.uk/great-wall-vagina-panel-3-0
www.greatwallofvagina.co.uk/great-wall-vagina-panel-4-0

There are nine panels in total but you get the picture (ho ho)

If women want to get it done for whatever reason and they are aware of the risks and that not everyone’s is the same, then that’s fine. I think people should educate themselves before any procedure and that women should research that not all porn is the same. I’ve seen so many different types of labia in porn. I’ve also never felt hat mine is worse because of porn. I don’t know how they shave and have no lumps like I do. I just don’t shave now though. I’ve also even with men who don’t care if there is hair or not. If you are with someone who wants to dictate to you how it should look. Then you shouldn’t be with them. I always thought that the inner bits control the flow of urine, like a mans foreskin. As long as remove some doesn’t affect that too much then I don’t see the issue. Similar side affects with circumcision and some men need to medically get theirs removed due to pain, so I see no differnce in removing some labia for the same reason.

It's bad enough tgt porn is teaching young people that pubic hair is unacceptable and anal sex is vanilla- this is a whole new level of heartbreak.

Very sensible and helpful doctor talking about this on Woman's Hour earlier today. There's a booklet to download: www.brook.org.uk/data/So_what_is_a_vulva_anyway_final_booklet.pdf

Thanks for the comments. I have decided to use the colossal mountain of now redundant and excess labial skin to fashion rudimentary gills.

The drag factor produced by my ears whilst swimming will be, effectively, countered by not having to pop up for air.

splink sorry, it’s not going spare. It’s all being turned into beautiful jewellery m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/tracy-kiss-labia-necklace_us_59d2908ee4b048a443246042

I think this is one of those things that if you don’t have the issue it’s so easy to dismiss it and suggest a different saddle or suchlike.

Pain from abnormal length labia is a constant day to day issue. I had to change positions 3 times during a 15 minute hair trim as sitting down was so uncomfortable, spin class? No chance! Never mind constant thrush, chaffing etc.

It’s lovely to see some posts on here separating the medical need from the cosmetic want (excellent post from sloth) and neither should be judged, however they are different beasts.

Posts from women who don’t have the issue stating we should love ourselves warts and all or accept never wearing certain clothes or underwear are quite frustrating, you have no idea how painful it can be. If it wasn’t labia causing daily pain and infection there would be no judgement having surgery to fix it.

I do think young girls having Labiaplasty to suit social norms is concerning, and I would wholly discourage my daughter doing it for ‘looks’ if she was not suffering physically from abnormal labia, but we can’t discount the emotional distress either. There are women out there unable to feel they can have an intimate relationship due to having protruding labia which is awful, but therapy would be the best first step in these cases.

I also agree with a couple of pp, you do see larger labia in porn.

Surely as a society we are trying to get to the point where we are more accepting of difference. To me that means a person with facial disfigurement should be acceptable as should someone with wonky teeth or a flappy labia.
Obviously things that cause physical discomfort should be fixed but things that society judge " imperfect" should be fought against.

Fascinatingly.

Cycling and spinning is associated with labial hypertrophy.

Interesting. Making your labia smaller in order to pursue a hobby that makes your labia bigger.

We are a crazy race.

Bursts into song 'The circle.... The circle of life'.

HolyGoats She's not selling.

How many women have labia-surgery each year? It can't be that high, can it?

Surely all surgery should only be where absolutely necessary?

What?

Oblomov I don't know the total numbers, but there are several hundred under-18s having it done every year. Which I think is frightening. Their bodies haven't finished developing before they're having surgery to change them. Plus the scar tissue can make sex more difficult and giving birth more difficult.

Someone earlier compared it to having braces on your teeth. Sure, if it was only cosmetic. But if braces could leave you permanently having problems eating and speaking, we wouldn't recommend anyone had them unless there was a real medical need. I think the same should go for this.

Not everyone with very long labia has a problem.
I used to cycle eveywhere but just changed my saddle and tilted it a bit.
I've never worn things or anypants with a thin gusset area as I found them very ncomfitablle but merely wore comfier ones.
Good quality swimming costumes suppressed the bulge.
The thing is it never occurred to me that my anatomy was at fault(a nurse so have seen more vulvas than many so know my labia are long but not abnormal).I did have trouble with applicator tampons due to skin getting caught and menopausal dryness caused chaffing but I just used different tampons and hrt.
Most of the labiaplasies I have seen have been on teenagers,what they say to the Drs and then to their friends on their phones are so different and it is sad as there will always be something they can't fix.

They're brave to tell their friends! I told a female colleague (also a nurse) a while ago but apart from that only my mum/sister and aunty know. Not something you share easily!!

I do remember when I approached my GP she admitted she was larger too ( oversharing?) and it hadn't ever been a problem for her as such. Same as you onlyold, said she wore comfier pants etc and had never considered surgery!

I think I just hated my body in general, feelings that surgery never fixed. I had to use prescription creams and emollients etc from very early age, they even queried sexual abuse when I was four or so.

I do admit I thought I was a 'freak' and not a proper woman. Having doctors looking at me regularly, drawing diagrams of what needed cut off, telling me I had a condition (they always said labial elongation) and an abnormal vulva. I still do feel that way, because of having problems for such a prolonged time, because I can't use tampons or have sex, because it's obvious (to me anyway) that I've had surgery , and hoping psychosexual therapy I'm away to start will go some way towards healing.

Who knows maybe one day I'll find a man/woman I can trust in terms of having a relationship..

Just use Vaseline on your labia before getting on the bike.

So much cosmetic surgery aimed at women. Face lifts, boob jobs, botox,Vaginplasty etc.
it's tough to be a woman in today's western society.
We all need to be size 8-10 with big boobs tiny waist no wrinkles and a fanny that resembles a pre pubescent girl.
No wonder there are so many young girls suffering with depression and anxiety if we have to live up to these beauty ideals.

user1490465531 To Be Fair, it’s looking tough to be a man these days too. A lot more grooming and surgery for them than previous years.

"A lot more grooming and surgery for them than previous years"

Depends which previous years. There were times when men wore makeup and wigs, dandies, etc.

Gwenhwyfar That’s a good point actually.

Just use Vaseline on your labia before getting on the bike.....said someone who clearly does not have this problem. It's not about friction, it's about a 'lump' of sensitive flesh being crushed. Vaseline does not stop the crushing, neither does shorts with a bit of sponge or gel in them...

Well it's just a bit ignorant isn't it? Just like people who think removing public hair is cleaner. Obviously some women can be physically uncomfortable as a result of large inner labia and choose to have surgery for that reason but that's not what the thread is about. The thread is about the article that implies that there is something wrong or dirty about certain kinds of vaginas. It's utter bollocks. I used to have a lorn start vagina. Following having children my inner labia haven't really snapped back. I can verify that my vagina is no less clean. I wouldn't say it's less meat either but then again wtf is a neat vagina?