Aesthetic surgery of the female genitalia, or ‘designer vaginas’, includes a number of surgical procedures designed to improve their appearance. It is claimed that, occasionally, sexual function may be enhanced.

With a growing acceptance of surgery designed to alter appearance, and the increasing availability of explicit images of naked women, a number of women are requesting surgery to alter their intimate appearance feeling that they compare unfavourably.

The most commonly requested procedures are labial reduction (‘labiaplasty’) and vaginal tightening (‘vaginaplasty’) operations. Other procedures include liposuction to the mons pubis; fat injections to the labia majora or mons in order to give a more youthful appearance to these areas; removal or reduction of skin around the clitoris (‘hoodectomy’), to improve clitoral sensitivity; and reconstruction of the hymen for cultural reasons.