Frontiers of plastic surgery

I thought last year's frontiers of plastic surgery took the cake, but this really puts the cherry on top.

U.S. women seek a second first time with hymen surgery
Thursday, December 15, 2005

By Amy Chozick, The Wall Street Journal

For her 17th wedding anniversary, Jeanette Yarborough wanted to do something special for her husband. In addition to planning a hotel getaway for the weekend, Ms. Yarborough paid a surgeon $5,000 to reattach her hymen, making her appear to be a virgin again.

"It's the ultimate gift for the man who has everything," says Ms. Yarborough, 40 years old, a medical assistant from San Antonio.

You won't be surprised to learn that religious groups, feminists, and some doctors are troubled by this procedure, which is called "hymenoplasty."

Restoring innocence this way has sparked criticism. Religious groups that value abstinence until marriage say hymen repair is a deception. Some feminists liken hymenoplasty to female genital mutilation. In addition, hymen repair, unlike other types of reconstructive surgery, isn't taught in medical residencies. Some medical associations worry that surgeons might be improperly trained.

And then there's the whole "WTF?" issue. Would you build a ship inside a bottle for the purpose of throwing it off the roof onto the pavement below? As one doctor says, "it's a pretty expensive thing to do for one night."

(hat tip: fee simple)