Jul 26, 2012 at 11:37am

It's not just waxing and trimming anymore. Now women are using all means to get on to the latest vaginal-beautification trends. Such women indulge in such practices for personal reasons and beliefs but are these trends really worth it?

Dyeing
Coloring your pubic hair to cover up gray, or amuse your partner.

Is it safe?
The skin beneath your pubic hair is far more easily irritated than your scalp and most hair dyes are intended for the hair on your scalp.

Does it mean you shouldn’t dye your pubic hair? That’s a personal choice says Libby Edwards, MD, Chief of Dermatology at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a specialist in diseases of the vulva and vagina.

It is however prudent that you test it out on another part of your body first like the armpit since the skin in that area is equally sensitive.


Brazilian Waxing
This is using wax to take off most or all of your pubic hair.

Is it safe?

Medical experts say everyone’s vulva is better off with the extra protection and padding of pubic hair.

Waxing can also irritate or tear delicate skin, as well as lead to ingrown hairs, rashes, and infections.

Unhygienic salons can increase the potential for problems.

It is advised that If you notice anything funky going on after waxing, call your doctor immediately, since an abscess can quickly travel up your genital tract.


Piercing
Female genital piercing is usually done on the clitoral hood, but sometimes the inner labia, outer labia, or on the perineum.

Is it safe?
Poking a hole in any part of your body carries a risk of infection.

If you pierce, be meticulous about aftercare and watch for redness, swelling, or other symptoms.


Feminine genital cosmetic surgery
This is the surgical alteration of a woman's genitals, including shortening and reshaping the labia, clitoral unhooding, and tightening of the vagina.

Is it safe?
All surgery has its risks, and this has significant ones: scar tissue, permanent disfigurement, and painful nerve damage, to name just a few.

For women whose labia are so enlarged that they can’t do basic activities like bike-riding or have sex without considerable pain, labiaplasty might be worth considering,” says Lissa Rankin, MD, author of What's Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend.

But barring any medical issues, you’re better off learning to love your beautiful labia just the way they are.

Source: Health.com