Warning Against Vaginal Rejuvenation, Other Cosmetic Procedures

Vaginal Rejuvenation

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists on Friday is expected to release a warning against vaginal rejuvenation,a procedure that aims to enhance sexual gratification by using a laserto repair vaginal tissue damaged during pregnancy, and other cosmeticgenital procedures, the Wall Street Journal reports. ACOGalso plans to warn against procedures such as "designer vaginoplasty,"which is promoted as enhancing a woman's appearance or tightening areaschanged by childbirth and aging, the Journal reports.

Accordingto ACOG, the procedures are unproven and the potential risks --including infection, scarring, nerve damage and loss of sensation --outweigh the potential benefits (Zimmerman, Wall Street Journal,8/31). ACOG in a statement said it is "deceptive" for physicians to"give the impression" that such procedures are "accepted and routinesurgical practices." ACOG's Committee on Gynecologic Practice in astatement published in the September issue of the group's magazine saidthe "[a]bsence of data supporting the safety and efficacy of theseprocedures makes their recommendation untenable."

Steven Sondheimer, an ob-gyn professor at the University of Pennsylvaniaand vice chair of the ACOG committee, said the group is not "reallysure" what physicians are doing when performing the procedures, adding,"We have doctors contacting us and asking, 'Is this something now beingtaught?' And we have to say no." Thomas Nolan, president-elect of the Society of Gynecologic Surgeons, said, "I know of no medical reason to do these surgeries, and no scientific data that proves they are beneficial."

According to the Chicago Tribune,the procedures increasingly are being marketed to women on late-nighttelevision, in magazines and on the Internet. Advocates of theprocedures say complications are rare, the Tribune reports. Robert Moore, a gynecologist and director of the Laser Vaginal Rejuvenation Institute of Atlanta,said, "Is there overwhelming data and evidence? No. But we're gatheringit now, and that's why we've gotten involved in this -- to bringlegitimacy to the field" (Graham, Chicago Tribune, 8/31).

Although ACOG does not collect statistics on the procedures, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons in 2005 began collecting data on vaginal rejuvenation, reporting 793 procedures that year and 1,030 in 2006 (Wall Street Journal, 8/31).
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