Dissatisfaction with penis size and vaginal lips influences the search for genital surgery

​A Swedish study published last month showed that 33.8% of individuals surveyed were dissatisfied with their genital appearance. A better self-perception would be related to a larger size of the penis and a smaller size of the labia minora.

The survey also showed that 11.3% of men and 13.7% of women considered having some type of cosmetic surgery in the genital region. According to Tatiana Turini, a member of the Brazilian Society of Plastic Surgery, the number of these procedures has increased in recent years.

The research, which included the participation of 3,503 Swedish men and women, was carried out through an online questionnaire and published in the scientific journal The Journal of Sexual Medicine.

For Christiane Ribeiro, a psychiatrist and member of the SBP (Brazilian Society of Psychiatry), this increase in cosmetic surgeries reflects a greater dissatisfaction of the population with their own bodies and lower self-esteem. She believes that this process is directly related to an increase in popular pressure for a perfect body and a greater use of social media.

Among women, labia minora reduction surgery is the most sought after. According to the surgeon, discomfort with the appearance of the vulva is the main complaint, but some patients want to have the procedure because they feel pain when wearing some clothes and doing physical exercises.

Data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery indicate that, during the year 2020, more than 142,000 people underwent the procedure — 20,000 in Brazil alone. Among the women who have already spoken openly about having had the surgery are lawyer Deolane Bezerra, digital influencer Geisy Arruda and former BBB Letícia Santiago.

Other procedures such as whitening, fat reduction in the pubic region and application of botox in the larger lips are also common. According to the doctor, aesthetic discomfort, even if not associated with an anatomical dysfunction, makes these women not feel comfortable with their partners, which can hinder pleasure and make the sexual experience painful.

According to the psychiatrist, those who are dissatisfied with the appearance of their genitals generally do not complain to their partners, but overestimate a physical characteristic that they consider negative – which, according to the specialist, can be a sign of Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a condition in which the patient feels he is highly dissatisfied with his own body.

This difficulty of acceptance can make social life difficult and lead to an unavailability for affective relationships and sexual activities.

This is the case with Daniel (not his real name, on request), 23. He said he feels very dissatisfied with the size of his penis and reports that this causes him to avoid relationships. According to him, this dissatisfaction also causes a lot of insecurity in sexual encounters, especially with women — he is bisexual.

According to Daniel, the size of his penis has never been a bother for his partners, and it has never hindered sex, but even so, he always wonders if the partners were really satisfied with the experience.

This insecurity started at age 13, when he began accessing pornography. According to the Swedish study, 93.6% of men and 57.5% of women consumed sexually explicit material, but, in this population, this consumption was not associated with a worse genital self-image.

Also according to the study, greater dissatisfaction with appearance was related to less sexual activity and body exposure – such as using public restrooms and clothing that can mark the genitals.

Daniel said that, because of his insecurity, he has already felt a lot of discomfort to wear clothes like swimming trunks, but that after he started psychotherapy, this concern diminished a lot.

Although insecurity has improved in recent years, Daniel says that, sometimes, he still thinks about having procedures that can increase the size of the penis.

The Brazilian Society of Urology states that it contraindicates this practice and reinforces that there are no studies or scientific data that give credibility, efficacy or safety to any technique to increase penile dimensions.

For Darlane Andrade, psychologist and professor at the Department of Gender Studies and Feminism at UFBA (Federal University of Bahia), aesthetic interventions can even improve acceptance of one’s own body.

However, she considers that psychotherapy is essential for individuals, especially women, to understand the impact of social pressures on the way they see themselves, and to be able to make the decision about whether or not to intervene more consciously.

The organizers of the Swedish study agree that psychotherapy can be an alternative to cosmetic procedures to improve self-image.