Society of Plastic Surgeons recommends delaying sex-change surgeries until age 19

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) released a statement Tuesday recommending thatsex change surgeries—mammary, thoracic, genital, and facial—not be performed before a patient turns 19. The organization explained that its decision is based on the lack of conclusive evidence on the benefits of these procedures for minors. The Trump Administration backed the recommendation and claimed it helps protect children from irreversible interventions.

The ASPS, which represents more than 11,000 plastic surgeons worldwide, argued that there is low certainty in the risk-benefit ratio of these interventions when applied to children and adolescents. Although their statement mentions hormonal treatments, the formal recommendation is limited exclusively to surgical intervention.

Uncertainty about long-term effects

In its paper, the organization noted that a substantial proportion of children who present with gender dysphoria before puberty experience a significant reduction in discomfort by adulthood, even without medical or surgical intervention.

The society cited an article published in 2025 by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which concluded that, in pediatric care related to sex change, there was a rapid expansion of clinical protocols that lacked sufficient scientific and ethical justification.

Support from the Government

The Department of Health and Human Services praised the ASPS position. In official releases, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz welcomed the decision and said it helps prevent irreversible damage to minors.