Clitoral hood reduction, also termed clitoral hoodectomy , [1] clitoral unhooding , clitoridotomy , [2] [3] or partial hoodectomy , is a plastic surgery procedure for reducing the size and the area of the clitoral hood prepuce in order to further expose the clitoral glans of the clitoris. It is sometimes done as a form of elective surgery where the therapeutic goals are to improve the sexual functioning of the patient and the aesthetic refinement of the vulva. It is a form of hoodplasty. The reduction of the clitoral prepuce tissues usually is a subordinate surgery within a labiaplasty procedure for reducing the labia minora , and occasionally within a vaginoplasty procedure.

The practice is found in some countries of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and within communities abroad from countries in which FGM is common. Typically carried out by a traditional circumciser using a blade, FGM is conducted from days after birth to puberty and beyond. In half of the countries for which national figures are available, most girls are cut before the age of five. They include removal of the clitoral hood type 1-a and clitoral glans 1-b ; removal of the inner labia ; and removal of the inner and outer labia and closure of the vulva. In this last procedure, known as infibulation , a small hole is left for the passage of urine and menstrual fluid ; the vagina is opened for intercourse and opened further for childbirth.

Skip to content. She grabs a tangerine on the kitchen table, peels it and takes out a segment. She picks up a huge knife from a shelf. Then she bursts out laughing.

Female genital cutting or circumcision FGC involves the cutting or altering of the external female genital organs. FGC is a traditional cultural practice rather than a religious practice, and its origins are unknown. The practice can be found in communities and certain ethnic groups in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and South America.