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Check out Dr. Walden’s interview with Medscape, a healthcare and medicine website by WebMD with current information on the latest in medical procedures and technology:

Plastic Surgeon Says Labial Surgery Can Be Life-Changing for Patients

An Expert Interview with Jennifer L. Walden, MD
by Stephanie Cajigal
As published on Medscape here on Feb 11, 2013
Medscape Editor’s Note:

Labiaplasty, a procedure done to reduce the size of the labia minora in women, is one of the most common female genital aesthetic surgeries, says Jennifer L. Walden, MD, a plastic surgeon with a private practice in Austin, Texas. Dr. Walden, who has performed 25-50 labiaplasties per year since opening her practice 9 years ago, says that although the procedure can be life-changing, it is too often done by physicians unfamiliar with the latest techniques and with little experience operating on female genitalia. In this interview with Medscape, she reveals what she considers to be best practices for this procedure.

Medscape: How exactly is labiaplasty done?
Dr. Walden: It involves an excisional procedure to make the labia smaller and more cosmetically appealing. There are several ways to treat labial hypertrophy that have been described in the literature. The excisional techniques involving a wedge excision, such as a V-wedge or W-plasty, are the preferred techniques nowadays. They put the incision line on either aspect of the labia minora. An older method, which has largely been abandoned, is trimming the outer edge of the labia minora.
The V-wedge and W-plasty lead to less scar burden and to fewer problems, such as itching, burning, and painful sex, which were more common with the older procedures. They also preserve the natural border of the labia because the incision is down along the inner aspect of it, and the incision crosses and goes down the outer aspect of the midline of the labia minora.
Medscape: Is this procedure growing in popularity?
Dr. Walden: I’d say that it’s become more acceptable in the past decade, and that’s because techniques have improved, more doctors are now marketing that they do the procedure, and more doctors who specialize in the procedure have emerged. All of these things combined have led to it becoming less taboo and more accepted because it is not only cosmetically appealing, it’s functionally appealing, too. However, when anything gains in popularity, there are always going to be hangers-on who want to jump on the trend. There are people who are less qualified to do genital surgery who do it anyway, and that’s what gives cosmetic procedures a bad name. But there are a lot of very well-qualified people who are trained to surgically address these issues who produce nice results and change the quality of life for a lot of women.
Medscape: What are the main reasons why women seek this procedure?
Dr. Walden: Usually they are seeking it because they’re having local irritation of the area, problems with personal hygiene when going to the bathroom or during their menstrual cycle, interference with sex, and discomfort during cycling, sitting, or walking or with tight jeans or yoga pants. What we hope is for the labia minora to be housed within the labia majora because the labia majora have a different quality to the skin and are designed to protect the inner labia minora. When the labia minora protrude outside of the labia majora, it’s essentially a part of the female anatomy that’s not protected, and it can be very irritating. Therefore, one of the main benefits is just an improvement of discomfort.
Women can also have a general concern with the appearance of their labia, so they want it to look as nice as possible. And that’s OK. It’s not a bad thing for women to want to look as good as possible.
Medscape: Are these benefits documented in the medical literature?
Dr. Walden: There have been a lot of well-done studies on this procedure, and there also have been a lot of case reports and small series, not just in the plastic surgery literature but in the obstetrics and gynecology literature.[1-3] In many different specialties, this is a well-documented procedure.
My labiaplasty patients are some of my happiest patients because it’s a relatively straightforward and short procedure that’s done on an outpatient basis. Within about an hour, it can be kind of life-changing.

References:

Mass SM, Hage JJ. Functional and aesthetic labia minora reduction. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2000;105:1453-1456. Abstract
Alter GJ. Labia minora reconstruction using clitoral hood flaps, wedge excisions, and YV advancement flaps. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2011;127:2356-2363. Abstract
Murariu D, Jackowe DJ, Parsa AA, Parsa FD. Comparison of wedge versus straight-line reduction labiaplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010;125:1046-1047. Abstract

Are you searching for something that can finally address your deep wrinkles, pigment irregularities, blood vessels, or those acne scars you have tried to hide, time after time? Or something that can rival the result of plastic surgery, without all the downtime and expense of undergoing surgery? If so, then Fractora may be for you.

Fractora is now available for those of us wanting to look years younger in a relatively short amount of time, with results lasting several years with little to no upkeep. So who wouldn’t want to give this latest and greatest procedure a try?

“It’s like applying 60 tiny acupuncture needles in a tiny applicator to the skin,” Dr. Jennifer Walden said in a recent interview with Todd Boatwright on Austin’s YNN. Fractora is several different technologies rolled into one– radiofrequency sound waves, not a knife, help resurface, smooth, and tighten the facial skin. The device also has the ability to help reduce unwanted pockets of fat on different areas of the body with a switch of the applicator. Patients have the option of one big treatment or several smaller ones over a period of weeks. With no fuss, mess or downtime, Fractora may be the perfect fit for you and a solution to those problem areas you have always tried to fix. Check the recent news segment out below on YNN Austin.

Many say that the economy is on its way to recovery since the economic downturn of 2009-2010. The market is showing increases, buy many feel a more indicative marker on the economic recovery is the increase in the number of cosmetic procedures performed each year. Cosmetic procedures are seen as a marker of disposable income and in the past year cosmetic procedures have increased 5%, with 1.5 million plastic surgeries performed in 2011. The most noticeable increase has been seen with minimally invasive procedures such as Botox, dermal fillers and laser treatments. These procedures have become increasingly popular because of the nominal cost and also due to the fact that they require little to no downtime with most people returning to work the same day. Although cosmetic procedures have not quite made it back to where they were at their peak in 2005, many are optimistic that the numbers will continue to increase and reach their previous highs over the next few years. Check out Dr. Jennifer Walden on Austin’s KVUE TV on these trends.

It used to be that you would go to a salon to get your hair and nails done but these days salons offer all kinds of beauty treatments including cosmetic injectables and even more invasive procedures. The prices can be very cheap, but the results can be catastrophic.

On this episode of KVUE’s HealthVue, Dr. Jennifer Walden is interviewed on why it is crucial for consumers to take a second look and ask more questions. Notably, there was a dramatic case out of Miami last year when reports surfaced about illegal cosmetic injections being performed on several women. “Doctors” were accused of injecting these women with substances like mineral oil, super glue, concrete, and Fix-a-Flat. The women reportedly were getting buttock injections in hopes of attaining a healthy “backside”, but they could have lifetime disfigurement as a result.

Last month, in Tyler, Texas, a salon owner was arrested for injecting clients in the breast and buttocks with an unknown substance (likely automotive grade silicone) and closing it with a superglue-type sealant. Why would someone get this done to their body? Perhaps it is the very low cost and the lack of information about what these victims are being injected with.

As Dr. Walden explains, it is important that patients are educated about the three P’s: Product, Practitioner, and Place.

1. Product - Make sure the product you are getting injected with is an FDA approved product for the particular area you are wanting injected. The FDA has approved certain products for injection into different regions of the face for cosmetic purposes, like Botox, Juvederm, Restylane, Radiesse, and Sculptra. There is no synthetic material that has been approved by the FDA for injection in the breast so that is a red flag itself. Ask what neurotoxin or filler is being used, and even research the product labeling online. If a provider refuses or is unable to tell you what material you are being injected with, do not let that person treat you.

2.Practitioner – Know what type of practitioner to go to like a physician trained to do cosmetic procedures or his/her designee such as a physician’s assistant, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse with cosmetic injection training. Go to a doctor in one of the core specialties like plastic surgery, dermatology, or otolaryngology who is also board-certified in that specialty.

3. Place - Don’t get injected in a place that you feel uncomfortable undergoing a procedure in such as a salon, mall, or private home. These are medical procedures and they ideally should be performed in a medical office or medical facility due to its sanitary environment with resources at hand. Often the price may seem too good to pass up, but if you hear of a Groupon ad that’s too good to be true or a salon owner that is offering rock bottom prices on something that is going to be injected in your face or body, let the buyer beware as it be dangerous or even fatal. Even at a Botox “party” or event, a physician must be supervising anyone who is doing these procedures and they must the appropriate credentials, meaning they have to be a registered nurse, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant with special training to administer cosmetic injectables.

In other words, do your research, ask questions, and become informed!