Requests for cosmetic genitoplasty: how should healthcare providers respond?

Abstract

Demand for cosmetic genitoplasty is increasing. Lih Mei Liao and Sarah M Creighton argue that surgery carries risks and that alternative solutions to women's concerns about the appearance of their genitals should be developed

Labial surgery for well women: a review of the literature

“…Advertisement unfailingly promotes a homogenised, nonprotruding and smooth-skinned aesthetic that communicates female sexual immaturity. 32 In the absence of rival representations, these select images are distorting public perceptions, setting a new benchmark for women. Widespread negative perceptions of normal female genitals are reflected in service providers' own degradation of their patients' vulva.…”

“…[29][30][31] The final ten papers were all discussion papers, reviews or recommendations relating to the ethics and practice of cosmetic genital surgery, all of which have been published since 2007. [32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41] The rest of this review focuses on the 18 papers reporting surgical procedures. Of these, seven originated from the USA and the rest from Europe, Asia, Oceania and South America.…”

Untitled

“…Due to this process, the Genital Cosmetic field started to emphasize its products and research toward the female genital area, even though there are no anatomical definitions as a normality pattern [1]. The search for beauty surgical procedures in the genital region is increasing, as shown in the latest survey by the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons that reports a staggering 31% increase in uptake of cosmetic sur gery where women accounted for 92% of this uptake [3]. The main surgical procedure is the labiaplasty, supported by the discomfort or its bad appearance when women wear tight clothes, for instance, when practicing sports [2,4].…”

Female genital cosmetic surgery: a new dilemma for GPs

“…4 In the UK, women and girls are most likely to first present concerns about their genitalia to their GP. Their complaints are likely to fall into two broad categories: physical and psychological.…”

“…• the provision of medically unrecognisable procedures; 1 • professional laissez-faire relating to audits of adverse events and clinical outcomes; 2 • absence of scientific evidence; 1,2 • extension of medicalisation of sex and sexuality; 3 • commercial exploitation of women and girls; 1,3 • operations being offered to children; 4 and • rebound of the cosmetic surgery industry in the private sector on NHS resources. 4 In the UK, women and girls are most likely to first present concerns about their genitalia to their GP.…”