Young girls increasingly ask doctors about genital cosmetic surgery
Author: Dr Elena Kontogianni
Girls as young as 15 in Australia are increasingly asking their GPs about genital cosmetic surgery and admit they are concerned that their genitals don’t look “normal”.
Lead author of the study, Dr Magdalena Simonis from the University of Melbourne’s department of general practice said she believes fashion, online pornography, perceptions of beauty, as well as Brazilian waxes were playing a major role in women’s dissatisfaction with and concern about their genitals.
More than half the GPs surveyed in the study suspected psychological disturbances in their patients requesting labiaplasty such as depression, anxiety and body dysmorphic disorder.
More than 1,500 labiaplasties were performed in Australia in 2013, representing a threefold increase in the procedure over the previous decade despite there being no increase in genital abnormalities.
Surgery could sometimes lead to complications such as ongoing pain and could also affect sexual response.
Read more: http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/9/e013010.full.pdf+html
Image credit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/health/rise-in-girls-asking-gps-about-genital-cosmetic-surgery-is-blame
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