Cosmetic genital surgery in children and adolescents

Abstract

Clinicians are faced with increasing requests for female cosmetic genital surgery and prominent amongst these is labiaplasty. The implications of labiaplasty in adolescence are explored with emphasis on what is known about normal genital appearances, pubertal development, anatomy and physiology and the options for surgical intervention including risks and implications. Faced with what is known to date on female cosmetic genital surgery then such interventions should be avoided in adolescence in the absence of defined medical indications until at least the age of 18 years.

Keywords: Adolescence; Cosmetic genital surgery; Female genital mutilation; Labiaplasty; Puberty.