A Minor Requests A Labiaplasty: What Should The Plastic Surgeon Do?
Reader Question:
I am 16 in Orange County and want a labia reduction. Can I have it without telling my parents?
For those of you who may not know, labiaplasty (sometimes called labioplasty) is an operation to change the shape of the labiae, a woman’s outer genitals. It can be performed for cosmetic or functional concerns. Some women with large labiae experience pain with tighter garments and in rare circumstances they can get in the way of sexual relations. The operations are different things to different surgeons and have been controversial to say the least.
Quite a bit in the practice of surgery of the privates is a matter of the surgeon’s philosophy. This includes the design and scope of the operation as we’ve mentioned. Traditionally for any surgery on a patient under the age of legal consent, a legal guardian (usually a parent) must consent. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Truth in Cosmetic Surgery*