Is Social Media convincing Aussie teens to get genital cosmetic surgery?

A concerning number of girls under the age of 18 are having plastic surgery to change the look of their genitalia, according to new research.

The study, published in the medical journal BMJ Open, shows that Australian girls as young as 15 are undergoing labiaplasties - a surgical procedure that removes excess tissue from the labia.

What's more, the medical consensus is that female genitalia doesn't actually reach maturity until around the age of 18.

More than a third of the 400 Aussie GPs who took part in the study said they had requests from girls under the age of 18 for female genital cosmetic surgery. Yep, that's an insane amount.

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Most of the girls had concerns about the size of their labia as the reason for wanting to go under the knife, the GPs reported.

Dr Magdalena Simonis from the University of Melbourne, who led the study, said that at least half of the requests came from girls and women she considered to suffering from either anxiety, depression, body dysmorphic disorder or they were emotionally vulnerable.

Dr Simonis, adds that there is an "epidemic of anxiety about normality" and has accused the cosmetic surgery industry of exploiting women's ignorance of their biology. Particularly when it comes to social media influence.

"The industry is brilliant at using social media to convince women and girls that they have 'redundant' or 'excess' tissue, when in fact we know that the labia are rich with nerve fibres," Dr Simonis said.

"The fact that surgery rates for 15-24 year olds are the same for 25-45 year olds is especially worrying, because female genitalia don't reach maturity until around age 18," she said.

Dr Simonis warns that surgery to "trim" labia can affect sexual response.

The Medical Board of Australia now advises that girls under 18 receive counseling and a three-month cooling-off period before seeking genital cosmetic surgery.

If you are concerned about the mental health of yourself or a loved one, seek support and information by calling Lifeline 13 11 14, Mensline 1300 789 978, or Kids Helpline 1800 551 800

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