A ‘vagina spa’ is opening in London. VSPOT Medi Spa apparently ‘specialises in vaginal rejuvenation, lasers, tightening, urinary leakage, the orgasm shot (the o-shot), painful sex, menopause, vaginal lightening, the v-steam and more’.
It comes not long after a ‘luxury skincare’ brand the Perfect V with products being sold at high-end department store Liberty, which claims to whiten, brighten and tighten your vagina.
VSPOT’s first spa opened in New York two years ago and the brand is set to expand across the US and Dubai, and is now on our doorstep too.
Whilst the genital cosmetic industry is booming, exposure to unrealistic body types in porn and social media is growing and difficulties accessing sexual and reproductive health services are rising – an unlikely coincidence.
Many times a week in my role as a community gynaecologist and sexual health doctor, I have to discuss genital anxiety with a young person.
Recently during a contraception consultation, it emerged that my patient had concerns about the appearance of her vagina.
I pulled up the Great Wall of Vagina (plaster casts of different vaginas) on my computer, to reassure this young women just how varied vaginas can be.
Thirty minutes to re-educate a patient is not enough time to undo years of negative images or messages from misguided partners which likely created low-self-esteem.
A patient like this likely requires psychosexual counselling and further sexual health education but waiting lists are months long, so often a quick fix found on the internet wins.
It is unsurprising then that people are turning to treatments like the ‘V-steam’ which includes ‘placing an LED light on your lady bits’ supposedly for ‘antibacterial’ purposes and lacks any robust medical evidence.
Meanwhile, ‘the O-shot’ claims to provide a rapid solution for women who struggle to orgasm by being a ‘painless treatment method of using your own blood platelets injected into your vaginal tissue’.
Although the psychology of orgasms is poorly understood, it is agreed that it’s likely multifactorial, including key factors like neurology, anatomy and mental health. To claim that ‘a one treatment fits all approach’ can cure so many women is deeply misguided.
For those that utilise experimental treatments and don’t achieve their desired orgasm, it is simply reinforcing incorrect narratives that achieving orgasm is normal or the necessary end result for everybody.
Then there is the ‘V-lightening’ treatment which claims to successfully lighten the skin around the vagina using ‘Madelic Mesopeel which is a hydrolysis of almond extract’. Not only are the methods dubious, the cost of £100 to £250 is mind boggling.
Skin lightening of any sort also plays into harmful narratives that darker skin is unpleasant and in need of intervention, when it is quite normal for there to be variation on different parts of your anatomy (which may be more visible amongst black or brown people).
Black women already face considerable prejudice in the dating pool – an OK Cupid survey in 2014 revealed that we are seen as the least desirable (even amongst Black men) and this kind of advertising reinforces harmful narratives about colourism.
VSPOT are not the first company to capitalise on growing insecurities and the lack of regulation is a cause for concern.
Many of these companies (including VSPOT) are often endorsed by certified medical professionals despite many of these cosmetic treatments not having undergone the same rigorous trials that medical treatments would have.
We have to question the ethics of doctors who utilise their authority to endorse products that do not have good medical evidence.
At times, people may be seeking some of these treatments purely for pleasure – a vaginal steam may feel quite relaxing. However, it is important to recognise that some of these treatments could have detrimental side effects and the reasons for your symptoms may be the result of a more serious medical issue.
With many of the treatments costing upwards of £100 per session, it is clear that someone is making a sizeable profit from peoples’ genuine health concerns and insecurities.
If the genital cosmetic industry keeps flourishing without regulation then those displaying anxiety and signs of body dysmorphia is likely to rise, with younger people being particularly vulnerable.
It is vital that in the midst of a mental health crisis amongst our young people that we build body confidence and inclusive sexual and relationship education (SRE) that helps people understand their anatomy properly.
Good sexual and reproductive health should be available to everyone, it should be free and we should be focused on protecting the services that can deliver accurate information that comes without a hidden agenda.
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