Penningtons Manches urges careful choice of surgeon as demand for labiaplasty rises

Posted: 16/04/2014

The specialist cosmetic surgery claims team at Penningtons Manches LLP is currently seeing an increase in the number of new enquiries from people who have undergone labiaplasty (labial reduction) and have either been unhappy with the end result or have been left with devastating consequences.

The Daily Mail has recently published a story about a surgically trained GP who undertook surgery to reduce the size of a woman’s labia because she believed ‘it was ugly’. The GP in this case mistakenly removed almost all of the vaginal lips and the patient was left devastated  and ‘distraught’ by the results.

The woman brought her case to the General Medical Council (GMC) alleging that the result was the ‘equivalent to female genital mutilation' as opposed to labiaplasty which she had requested. It was also alleged that the GP was not suitably trained to carry out this type of procedure.

Amy Milner, an associate specialising in cosmetic surgery cases at Penningtons Manches, says: “This case, while very sad for the woman concerned, is an example of why it is so important that only those that are surgically trained should carry out this type of procedure. Labia reduction (or labiaplasty as it is also known) is the most common type of genital surgery carried out in the UK but, when something goes wrong, it can have a devastating impact on an individual and often there is nothing that can be done to rectify matters.

“These types of cases can often cause someone significant psychological trauma which will affect them for the rest of their lives. It is therefore imperative that anyone wanting surgery carefully chooses their surgeon and ensures that they have relevant experience.”

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