I feel strongly that it is wrong to circumcise babies or children, except in cases of medical emergency, ie. in cases of acute phimosis (when a boy's foreskin is extremely tight) or paraphimosis (tight foreskin retracted and stuck behind the glans. And even in those cases circumcision should only be used as a last resort.
I also agree that we should beware of slick marketing men and unscrouplulous surgeons. But, speaking as someone who had himself circumcised at age 30 - for aesthetic reasons - I think it's entirely up to the individual. (I prefer the look of a circumcised penis.)
Removal of the clitoral hood is controversial because it's one of those operations that is routinely done to childern by adults - for the sake of tradition. There are more extreme forms of 'female circumcision' (or 'female genital mutilation' as it is now oftern referred to), and I think we'll all be happier when those practises become a thing of the past. But women have an equal right to change their bodies through surgery so, like I said, I'm on the side of the individual.
I used to work on a magazine devoted to body decoration (piercing, tattooing, etc.). We corresponded with several women who had had labiaplasty, including removal of the prepuce (clit hood), and they all seemed very happy with the results. I don't think it's any different to male circumcision. The newly uncovered clitoral glans is very sensetive to touch, but the skin quickly loses that hypersensitivity - in just the same way as it does when a man (or boy) is circumcised.
As for clit hood removal increasing a woman's orgasmic response? I think lack of orgasmic response is almost always due to psychological factors, or simply poor technique, and those avenues must be explored first. However, there are many women who's clit is stuck to the hood. Often they don't know because, etiher they haven't had a really good look, or they don't know what it might look like if the clit was free. These adhesions are just the same as boys often have before puberty (when masturbation usually breaks the adhesions). In men, and occasilnally women, these adhesions can cause a lack of sensitivity to sexual stimulation, or an infection can start in a pocket of old smegma. Those adhesions can be parted but it needs to be done under local anaesthetic. My wife had adhesions - less than 1/2 of her glans was uncoverable - she could have had a little op to free the hood from the glans, but instead opted for a vertical clit hood piercing. We reasoned that the ring would slide around under the hood and gradulally break the adhesions. We were right. When we resumed sex after the piercing was healed she would sometimes feel a little tear as more of the adhesion parted. A week or so later, for the first time in her life, she experienced orgasm through intercourse alone. We were thrilled. I believe that it might have been to some extent a placebo effect, but it doesn't really matter. The main thing is that she was (and still is) able to come like a freight train when we fuck.
Except for a tiny adhesion on one side of the coronal ridge round her glans, her clit head could now be revealed. Perhaps to celebrate, she wanted to wear a ring in her clitoris. But so that the hood would not press down on her clit ring, and in order to show off her newly decorated clit, she had the hood divided vertically to give it a 'middle parting'. This is an alternative to having the hood removed. We think it looks pretty neat. If anyone would like to see a picture or two, I'll ask her if she's happy for me to post a couple of photos on this thread. (She's on holiday in Venice with her mum at the moment.)
On a personal preferance note: I quite like long labia. But if someone wants to make changes to their body, it doesn't necessesarily mean they're sad, sick, or mad. (What about all us guys on the forum stretching and pumping our cocks? We're not mad, are we?) I think it's quite sexy if a woman decides to alter her body to make herself feel good, whether it's body building or hair colouring, the odd tattoo, piercings. Oh yes!
Labia trimming? Go on! It rocks! Clit hood trimming? All the better to lick you. Yeah baby. Go for it! You only live once. :smile: