In their mini-review of cosmetic labioplasty in adolescents, Runacres and Wood describe
the recent increase in labioplasty as ‘disturbing’
1
and claim that general agreement in medical ethics about nonharm means that labioplasty
in adolescents should be avoided. We agree with the importance of nonharm, but not
with the view that labioplasty will always be harmful for adolescents. Perhaps counterintuitively,
labioplasty might be the solution, not the problem, in some cases.
2
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References
- Cosmetic labioplasty in an adolescent population.J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2016; 29: 218
- Body dysmorphic disorder: contraindication or ethical justification for female genital cosmetic surgery in adolescents.Bioethics. 2016; 30: 706
- Constructing a systematic review for argument-based clinical ethics literature: the example of concealed medications.J Med Philos. 2007; 32: 65
- Suicidality in body dysmorphic disorder: a prospective study.Am J Psychiatry. 2006; 163: 1280
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.5th ed. Arlington, VA, American Psychiatric Association, 2013
Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 06, 2017
Identification
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© 2017 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc.
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- Cosmetic Labiaplasty in an Adolescent PopulationJournal of Pediatric and Adolescent GynecologyVol. 29Issue 3
- PreviewLabiaplasty (defined as the surgical reduction of the labia minora) is the most common procedure under the umbrella of female genital cosmetic surgery with the prevalence increasing over the past 10-15 years. However, the concept of labial hypertrophy holds an arbitrary definition, with no research into labial size undertaken within the pediatric and adolescent populations. Under the tenets of medical ethics there is acceptance of the need to avoid harm and so, for reasons to be outlined, performance of labiaplasty in children and adolescents should be avoided.
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- Author's ResponseJournal of Pediatric and Adolescent GynecologyVol. 30Issue 3
- PreviewBy basing their letter on “normality” not being the issue, Dr Spriggs and Prof Gillam appear to miss the crucial importance of defining normality, so that deviations from the norm can be explored and managed appropriately. Most requests for labial reduction are not linked to labial hypertrophy and our mini-review1 dealt exclusively with these requests in adolescence. Spriggs and Gillam concentrate on the effect of the group of women with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and refer to two as yet unpublished pieces of work, one of which refers to interviews with clinicians who deal with labiaplasty (plastic surgeons?).
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