Smith told The Independent she was described as “the perfect candidate” for the type of procedure she was interested in, and she said medical professionals also told her it was a “super simple surgery.” Still, Smith claimed she was not made aware of any risks.<\/p>\n
She eventually had labiaplasty \u2014 a surgical procedure that helps reduce the size of the labia minora, skin folds that surround the urethra and vagina, per the Cleveland Clinic<\/a> \u2014 at age 22. Smith, The Independent reported, initially wanted to undergo the procedure when she was 14 years old.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n Getty<\/p>\n Smith has subsequently dealt with numerous post-op complications after her labiaplasty. She told The Independent she feels \u201cextremely drained and uncomfortable,\u201d and she \u201ccan\u2019t sit directly on” the surgical area “for long.”<\/p>\n The woman added that she finds sex is now “excruciatingly painful and mentally distressing,” and she keeps dealing with various issues after the tissue was removed, including irritation, dryness and recurring infections.<\/p>\n The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so sad. Penetration was never painful before. I feel so angry at the surgeon, the system and myself for making this decision,” Smith told The Independent.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes me so angry how casually this procedure is promoted as increasing sexual confidence, improving hygiene and even making underwear more physically comfortable,” she added to the outlet.<\/p>\n Pascal Bachelet\/BSIP\/Universal Images Group via Getty<\/p>\n Labiaplasty, as well as vaginoplasty \u2014 which the Cleveland Clinic<\/a> describes as a procedure to repair the vagina\u00a0from damage sustained due to medical conditions, injury or other factors \u2014 are some gynecological surgeries that have risen in popularity in recent years through social media, promoting a “designer vagina.”<\/p>\n According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons<\/a>, “Women opt for surgery for a variety of reasons, including pain from twisting and tugging of the labia when riding a bike or during intercourse, itching, irritation and self-consciousness.”<\/p>\n The risks associated with the procedure, the group highlights, include “bleeding, hematoma and infection,” as well as “the most common complication” \u2014 over-resection, which the National Institutes of Health (NIH)<\/a> describes as “too much bone, cartilage or tissue [being] removed.”<\/p>\n Smith told The Independent that a doctor has since discussed reconstruction surgery with her. That procedure would apply the same techniques used for women who have suffered\u00a0from female genital mutilation\u00a0(FGM), which is described by the World Health Organization (WHO)<\/a> as “procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.”<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/d8bd9552a068487cd37ffc27a2155d49.jpeg\"\/)
A woman in pain in a hospital bed holding the hand of another person (stock image). <\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/f3888975f6f0689c913f1a763ef2f61c.jpeg\"\/)
A nurse attending to a patient in a hospital room (stock image). <\/p>\n