#Lighten vaginal area skin
"Using bleaching creams to lighten the skin or lasers to help remove pigment are both medically unnecessary and could have harmful side effects to the delicate and sensitive tissue of the vulva," Marchbein tells Allure, listing burning, blistering, allergic reactions, redness, irritation, and scarring among the potential side effects. They also may use various fractionated lasers that can help lighten the skin - and she's not a fan of either idea. What are the risks, according to doctors?Īlthough Marchbein herself does not perform or recommend this kind of treatment, she explains that those who do it use chemical bleaching agents similar to those used to minimize the appearance of hyperpigmentation elsewhere on the body, like hydroquinone and kojic acid.
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Additionally, as nudity has become more commonplace in mainstream movies, which have also influenced viewers' perceptions of their own and other's bodies, some people began to find genitals that are darker than the rest of the body "off-putting," according to that same clinic's site. So, if virtually every vulva color is normal, what's driving people to pursue this treatment? At least one of the clinics offering the treatments (which range from about $150 to $350 per session) says that the desire for lighter-colored genitals may very well trace back to the adult film industry. "Depending on a person's ethnicity, the color may be naturally pink to purple to brown," she says.
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Mary Rosser, assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology and practicing doctor at Columbia University Medical Center, says that although a sudden change in color paired with discomfort may signal that something is medically wrong, she agrees with Marchbein about the wide range of possible vulva shades.