The trouble with loose women
The rest crossed their legs and contemplated a truism they’d heard in their teens: Nobody likes loose women. Not even the bad guys. So, it’s not something nice girls want to be. It’s not something nice girls have to be, either. Lunchtime lasering to tighten the vajayjay has recently become available at yet another Dublin-based cosmetic surgery clinic where it’s being marketed as a simple, 30-minute non-surgical procedure.
Now while that might sound nifty, it also sounds scary. After all, what woman would, after a morning’s work, willingly swap salad with her colleagues for a session with legs akimbo and a laser-gun deep in her nether regions?
Plenty, apparently.
French actress, Julie Delpy (she starred with Ethan Hawke in the movie Before Midnight) has admitted publicly that she underwent a vaginal rejuvenation procedure. So too has reality TV star Brandy Glanville of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fame.
Former Playboy model, Jessica Canseco, went one step further. She had her surgery while being filmed for the TV show Hollywood Exes. Of course she wouldn’t have the same hang-ups about surgical enhancement that many others might have, as she was once married to a Beverly Hills cosmetic surgeon best known for his work on the Extreme Makeover show.
Yet, for all the outward glitz of her life, it seems that Canseco has her hang-ups like everyone else. She had her procedure when she found herself back in the LA singles’ scene, following a very public split from her husband.
Besides cosmetic surgery, a whole industry has been built on the vaginal insecurities of women. These range from electrical devices that exercise the pelvic floor muscles, to gels, creams and even pills, that supposedly restore, rejuvenate and tighten the area.
Yoni-toning remedies, such as Ben Wa Balls, were in use as far back as 500 AD. Despite their pelvic floor benefits, they’re popularity is linked to the vibrating sensations they deliver. While devices may be useful, they’re not necessary for most. Kegel exercises which strengthen the pubococcygeus (PC) muscle are the choice of many, as is strengthening the pelvic floor by practising diaphragmatic breathing.
Noreen Dockery, a women’s health physiotherapist with Milltown Physiotherapy, cautions against the use of electrical devices that stimulate the pelvic floor, without first being assessed. “It’s important to find out why you are experiencing problems before attempting to tackle them yourself, and to get advice as to the exercise programme that would best suit your needs,” she says.
Despite the obvious benefits, not everyone is prepared to exercise and there’s no denying the appeal of a quick-fix that promises to restore the vagina to its original state especially for those who may have had problems with their lady-parts following childbirth. But there are risks associated with vaginal tightening, and this is the prime reason why Dr Jennifer Walden, a Texas-based plastic surgeon, who performs labiaplasty (which involves removing extra or redundant tissue from the inner lips of the labia), will not offer that service to her patients.
“The procedure sometimes causes scar conditions that do nothing to improve the woman’s situation and there is much controversy as to its efficacy and safety,” she explains.
Agreeing that it can pose risks such as altered sensation, pain and scarring, a spokesperson for The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) said there was insufficient research to correctly assess the ‘safety, effectiveness, complication rates and long-term satisfaction for unproven surgical procedures such as vaginal rejuvenation’.
But despite the risks there is, according to Dr Walden, a growing demand for the procedure. As to why that is, it’s likely that reduced sexual prowess, whether real or illusory, plays a role.
Women who suspect their limitations in the bedroom are linked to an unresolved medical condition would, you’d imagine, seek the opinion of a consultant who would perform medical, as opposed to cosmetic surgery, if required.
Those who, despite the risks associated with the procedure, opt instead for a quick-fix from cosmetic surgeons, are arguably gullible and vulnerable.
Sharon Osbourne does not fit that description. But even so, few were convinced by her insistence to US radio jock, Howard Stern, that contrary to what she said on the Graham Norton show, she never had her vagina tightened.
