Like a virgin...again
They are usually in their early 20s and most are in the final
year of their studies.
"The girls don't come alone (for the consultation and surgery).
They come with their boyfriends or a trusted girlfriend," says a
consultant plastic surgeon with a notable private hospital in Kuala
Lumpur.
A lot can happen when youths leave home to study abroad and
sexual exploration is invariably on the top of the list.
"And when these girls come here -- either with their boyfriends
or they befriend local guys -- some of them engage in penetrative
sexual acts," says the surgeon.
But despite the freedom they enjoy here, the day eventually
comes when they have to go home to their parents, get married and
settle down.
And some of these girls come from communities that for various
cultural and religious reasons, still require a girl to be a
virgin.
"To them, having the hymen intact is not just an important
marriage commodity -- their very lives depend on it," says the
surgeon.
Never mind that over the past few decades we've achieved and
advanced so much -- like putting a few men on the moon, doing organ
transplants and creating babies in test tubes.
There are still reports of women being killed or brutalised by
their family members in certain African and Middle-eastern
countries if they are found not to be virgins on their wedding
night.
Last Sunday, it was reported that a young Muslim couple's
marriage was annulled in 2006 because the bride, a student nurse in
her 20s, was not a virgin.
The wedding night party was still under way at the family's home
in Roubaix, France, when the groom, an engineer in his 30s, came
down from the bedroom complaining that his bride was not a
virgin.
He could not display the blood-stained sheet that is
traditionally exhibited as proof of the bride's purity.
Elisabeth Badinter, a philosopher and pioneer of women's legal
rights, said the annulment would only serve to send young Muslim
girls running to hospitals to have their hymens restored.
In France, although it is officially discouraged, the operation
is seeing increasing demand from Muslim women who fear the
consequences of being unable to prove their virginity on their
wedding night.
It takes only about 30 minutes and voila, the girl is a "virgin"
again. The operation is not only attracting foreign students, but
some local university students have also started to request for
their hymen to be repaired.
A 22-year-old varsity student told the New Sunday Times that she
went to see a plastic surgeon to have her hymen restored after she
learnt about the procedure on the Internet.
"I buat salah (made a mistake) and had pre-marital sex with my
former boyfriend once. I don't want my future husband to think that
I'm a slut just because of that one night," says the business
administration student who agreed to speak on the condition of
anonymity.
She forked out RM2,500 for the procedure last December. It was
money she saved from giving part-time tuition.
"The hymen is fragile and can be easily torn, not necessarily
through penetrative sex, but also rigorous physical activities like
cycling or running, or even after a fall," says consultant plastic
surgeon Dr V. Surendranathan.
Restoration of the hymen is done on an outpatient basis, under
local anesthesia or sedation.
Simple repair consists of piecing together the remnants of the
hymen by closing the tear and it's a simple procedure that is done
by pulling the tissue together.
However, the result of this particular procedure is not meant to
last and some experts say "it must be done three to seven days
before the wedding".
When the hymenal remnants are not sufficient, a small incision
can be cut into the outer flaps of the vagina and a suture put
across it.
"After about three to four weeks -- during which time the
patient is advised against any form of penetrative sex -- the
sutures, which are usually fine black threads, will come off on
their own," says Dr Surendranathan.
Another option is inserting a tear-through nylon-like
biomaterial. "When sexual intercourse takes place, the biomaterial
would be torn and the tearing would cause some bleeding -- just
like what a broken hymen would."
Hymen reconstruction is quite the in-thing among sex workers,
says another plastic surgeon who declines to be named.
"They come here for vaginoplasty (tightening and reshaping of
the vagina) and usually request hymenoplasty as part of the
package," he reveals.
He says simple vagina tightening surgery costs about RM3,000 to
RM8,000 -- although the procedure can go up to RM16,000 in some
hospitals. Hymenoplasty is more affordable -- it's usually about
RM1,500 to RM3,000.
"They tell me having a new hymen is worth it because some
customers are willing to fork out about RM10,000 just to spend one
night with a 'virgin'."
Procedures like hymen reconstruction are relatively rare and
confined to a minority of women who need to conform to religious or
ethnic rules on virginity, says Dr Surendranathan.
A greater number of patients complain of stretched vaginal
muscles or inner labia that are too big, uneven or unsightly.
Vaginoplasty involves the removing of excess vaginal lining and
the tightening of surrounding soft tissues and muscles to return a
vagina to its normal anatomical shape and diameter.
Most women who opt for vaginoplasty are those who've had
children and are in their late 30s and above.
"They complain about a feeling of looseness. This can decrease
the sensation during sexual intercourse, resulting in lower levels
of satisfaction for her and her partner," says consultant
obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Lee Say Fatt.
After three children and 14 years of marriage, Kristy (not her
real name), 42, went for vaginoplasty recently after her husband
hinted that he "could not really feel her" any more.
So when she suggested about going for surgery to "tighten things
up down there", he was all for it.
"He paid for everything of course. Our sex life has definitely
improved," says Kristy.
But she can't help harbouring a little resentment towards her
husband after the surgery.
"In a way, him wanting me to do it made me feel like he didn't
really love me anymore -- not if I can't satisfy him sexually."
The erosion of sexual pleasure aside, a woman would also
experience stress incontinence, and the weakening of the wall
between the vagina and bladder or the vagina and that with the
rectum.
Some hospitals combine vaginoplasty together with labiaplasty
and advertise them collectively as vaginal rejuvenation
surgery.
Labiaplasty is a cosmetic genital surgical procedure that will
reduce the size or change the shape of the small lips on the
outside of the vagina.
What are the risks involved in such surgeries?
"As with any surgery, there can be complications, both surgical
and anaesthetic. But complications are rare and they may include
bleeding, infection and scarring," says Dr Lee.
Proper surgical techniques and the use of laser will
significantly reduce these risks, he says, adding that "laser
minimises pain, blood loss and swelling".
It also promotes excellent wound healing, resulting in minimal
or no scarring at all.
"The procedures are generally done as day cases and patients are
usually put under general anaesthesia.
"After surgery, the patient will be under observation for a few
hours before they are allowed to go home -- on the same day."
Women usually report mild to moderate discomfort for a few days
after the operation, says Dr Lee. "This can be easily relieved by
oral painkillers and cold packs.
"Many women can return to their usual daily activities after
resting for a few days."
After surgery, patients would have to abstain from sexual
activities for at least six weeks.
