More women are pampering themselves with a revolutionary beauty treatment made with honey, coconut oil and egg whites that gives skin a refreshed and youthful appearance.
Sounds like a facial doesn't it? It's not. The treatment is for your vagina.
Facials for vaginas, cleverly named the "vagacial," are just one of many genital area-focused beauty treatments, including labiaplasties and vaginal steaming, on the rise in the United Kingdom and other parts of the world, The Independent noted last week.
Though nothing new, cosmetic surgeons say procedures like labiaplasties, where part of the inner labia is reduced or altered, are increasing in popularity so much that they are becoming a routine part of women's grooming, like leg shaving.
"Genital-based treatments seem very shocking and controversial, but in fact many of these practices have been happening for decades, even centuries," Colin Webster, a member of the British Association of Beauty Therapists, told The Independent. "British women - and men - are beautifying down below just like they would anywhere else."
With vagacials, a combination of coconut oil and steam is applied to the area to treat "dry sagging vaginas," as Lisa Palmer, a dating expert who created the treatment, said on a recent episode of the British show "This Morning."
"The vagina is literally steamed in order to cleanse and soften the skin," Webster said. Then there are other genital treatments involving lasers - yikes - and fillers that increase tightness.
Apparently the "designer vagina" trend is all the rage among women both young and old. For 61-year-old British grandmother Sandra Gallagher, who had seven children, the labiaplasty she got in 2012 improved her sex life with her 34-year-old fiancé, the Daily Mail reported.
Dr. Ash Mosahebi, a consultant plastic surgeon at Spire Bushey Hospital, told The Independent more women in their 20s are asking about genital surgery, which are sometimes covered under the UK's National Health Service. The system covered the cost of labiaplasties for more than 2,000 women in 2013 - and that number doesn't account for women who got it under private insurance.
Underlying this craze is the question of what motivates women who opt for "designer vaginas?" Some researchers say it's pressure to appear more like porn stars in adult films. However, recent studies suggest there is no link between a rise in genital plastic surgery and pornography.
Other doctors say some women are driven by a fear of looking abnormal down there - although a study published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology found no difference between the labia of those who sought alteration and the general population, The Independent noted.
According to Mosahebi, going through with genital surgery can do more harm than good and should only be sought if the patient has pain during activities like exercising or sex.
"With this type of surgery, not only is there a higher risk of infection but if the surgery is not carried out properly by a specialist it can lead to a miserable life for the patient, including problems walking comfortably," Mosahebi told the newspaper.
But for 74-year-old Abigail, who got a vagacial on "This Morning"- which she described as feeling "lovely and warm" - the procedure was perfect for livening things up for her and her 30-year-old lover.
