Stop go female genital mutilation and their physical and psychological consequences. This is the affirmation of the Italian Society of Reconstructive-Regenerative and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, which is clamoring for this condition to be talked about as much as possible in Italy too.
In this article
Female genital mutilation: the numbers in Italy and in the world
Only in our country there are nearly 88,000 women with genital mutilation, according to a study by the Bocconi University of Milan. Worldwide there are at least 200 million women and girls who have undergone genital mutilation according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF. In 2023, around 4.2 million girls and boys are at risk of undergoing these practices.
Female genital mutilation: the role of plastic surgery
Thanks to advances in medicine and regenerative surgery however, it is possible to intervene effectively to save these women and give them back a good quality of life. The first goal is to remodel the scar tissue.
The best technique is lipofilling
«Fortunately today we can rebuild the area effectively. The best technique is the autotransplantation of the patient’s fat, with the lipofilling. In this way we can restore elasticity, turgidity and volume. The transposition of flaps is also important. Thus we are able to reconstruct the removed and modified tissues,” he says Stephanie de Faziocreator of the Summit format in 2019 and president-elect of the SICPRE.
A revision of the Bonino law is urgently needed
«This condition is regulated by the Bonino law of 2006, which plays a crucial role. However, this law should be reviewed because it does not include the plastic surgeon within the multidisciplinary team envisaged for the treatment of mutilation victims. It’s a pity that she is the only figure capable of restoring the shape and function of the vagina to these women”.
Female genital mutilation: the different degrees
There are different degrees of genital mutilation:
- grade 1: partial excision of the clitoris,
- grade 2 occurs when the labia minora are reduced or eliminated;
- grade 3 and 4 when there is also narrowing of the vaginal introitus, the so-called infibulation.
Even for the rudimentary methods with which they usually occur, female genital mutilation is often cause of serious infectionswhich can even lead to death.
As far as the vast majority of victims living in Italy are concerned, the mutilation occurs before migration or, in the case of second generations, during a trip to the country of origin.
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