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Anatomy and Aesthetics of the Labia Minora: The Ideal Vulva?

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An Erratum to this article was published on 07 April 2017

Abstract

Female genital cosmetic surgery is becoming more and more widespread both in the field of plastic and gynaecological surgery. The increased demand for vulvar surgery is spurred by the belief that the vulva is abnormal in appearance. What is normal in terms of labial anatomy? Labia minora enlargement or hypertrophy remains a clinical diagnosis which is poorly defined as it could be considered a variation of the normal anatomy. Enlarged labia minora can cause functional, aesthetic and psychosocial problems. In reality, given the wide variety of vulvar morphology among people, it is a very subjective issue to define the “normal” vulva. The spread of nudity in the general media plays a major role in creating an artificial image and standards with regard to the ideal form. Physicians should be aware that the patient’s self-perception of the normal or ideal vulva is highly influenced by the arguably distorted image related to our socio-psychological environment, as presented to us by the general media and internet. As physicians, we have to educate our patients on the variation of vulvar anatomy and the potential risks of these surgeries.

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Acknowledgements

None of the authors has a financial interest in any of the products or devices mentioned in this article. Funding was provided by CLERICO Cyril (Grant No. 06 66 82 68 63).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Croix-Rousse Hospital, University of 103 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse, 69004, Lyon, France

    C. Clerico, A. Lari, A. Mojallal & F. Boucher

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  1. C. Clerico
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  2. A. Lari
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  3. A. Mojallal
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  4. F. Boucher
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Clerico.

Additional information

The original version of this article was revised: The correct spelling of the second author’s Family Name is “Lari”.

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00266-017-0871-6.

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Clerico, C., Lari, A., Mojallal, A. et al. Anatomy and Aesthetics of the Labia Minora: The Ideal Vulva?. Aesth Plast Surg 41, 714–719 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-017-0831-1

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