| Also known as "Hymen replacement" or hymenorrhaphy. It falls into the category of vaginoplasty.
It's painless outpatient surgery that "restores" your physical virginity, ie the Hymen, for women.
A medical journal describes it as "fulfillment of a person's need rather than a response to their medical condition." Therefore it's cosmetic surgery. It's a fairly important issue in Bioethics class in medical school as the point of this surgery is to deceive others, such as future husbands.
Some of the other views: it amounts to conspiring to deceive; it confirms sexual inequality and may not help the women psychologically; it is more important to dispel myths about virginity and intact hymens; concern that at least half the women studied report sexual abuse; it helps women to function as symbols of female denigration, so while surgery may be ethically correct the true solution lies in promoting greater gender equality in social norms and customs.
It made international news one time when it was revealed that it was extremely popular in either Korea or the Phillipines. Seems some people would pay up to $1000US to sleep with a virgin. Women would perform the act, get a hymenoplasty for $100US and could repeat it again.
Some people in conservative societies will get this done so they don't have to have any stigma (at least on the outside). An Egyptian movie "Girls' Secrets" tackled the dicey issue a while back.
There are a few links describing it on Google. One describes the mentality of it, but I'd take it with a grain of salt. Supposedly the author believes if you're a vigrin physically, that's what will make you go to heaven.
http://net-burst.net/singles/virginity.htm
Blockquote taken from: "Ethical dilemma: Should doctors reconstruct the vaginal introitus of adolescent girls to mimic the virginal state?" Education and debate. British Medical Journal, February 7, 1998
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