An advert promoting “designer vagina” surgery has been banned for encouraging women to be dissatisfied with their natural bodies.
London Bridge Plastic Surgery clinic advertised its services for labia reshaping in the Metro newspaper.
The clinic promised women they could “achieve a more natural appearance” and “relieve the discomfort caused by enlarged labia.”
It also advertised “finance available.”
However, five readers complained about the ad to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on the grounds it was socially irresponsible to encourage women to consider unnecessary cosmetic surgery.
The ASA agreed and banned the advert.
“We considered that it was irresponsible to imply that any part of a person's body was not natural in appearance, including because it could encourage them to be dissatisfied with their body, regardless of whether or not it encouraged them to undertake cosmetic surgery,” the watchdog said.
Labiaplasty – surgical procedures to reduce the size of the labia – are mostly carried out by private clinics in the UK. Many are for cosmetic purposes, but some are for medical reasons.
London Bridge Plastic Surgery said 100 percent of women undergoing the procedure were looking for a more “natural” appearance, 91 percent reported discomfort from clothing and 69 percent reported discomfort when doing sports.
A significant number also reported discomfort during intercourse.
The clinic argued it is not socially irresponsible to advertise the availability of labiaplasty and that women undergoing the procedure do not consider it to be unnecessary.
“We never impose on our patients our views of what natural is and never tell a patient what is normal,” the London Bridge Plastic Surgery said in a statement.
“It is our patients who ask for a more natural or normal appearance and it is our role to tell them what or what is not possible.”
Two years ago, a New York-based reconstructive surgeon told RT the popularity of selfies was leading social media users to seek plastic surgery.
Sam Rizk said there was a 25 percent increase in demand for “nip and tuck” procedures from 2012 to 2014.
“They show me their picture and they say, ‘Oh, my nose is too big. My eyes are droopy. My mouth is crooked, my teeth are messed up. My face is wrong,” he said.