Plastic Surgery & BDD

According to recent findings, the number of plastic surgery procedures performed in the United States increases by 44% yearly. Although there are no relevant statistics available for other countries as of yet, it is safe to assume that numbers are going up worldwide. Medical loans and cosmetic surgery finance companies are making elective surgery procedures available to an ever increasing portion of the population and bias against recipients of these kind of procedures have all but disappeared.

The question is: Is plastic surgery a good option for everyone? It would seem not. BDD or Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a condition initially introduced in 1987, is characterized by a obsession with a feature of one’s physical appearance. Sufferers repeatedly alter or scrutinize the offending body part - to the point that the obsession interferes with their daily functioning. Studies have shown that a whopping 7 to 12 percent of plastic surgery patients have some form of BDD. In addition, the majority of BDD patients who have cosmetic surgery do not experience any improvement in their compulsive symptoms, often requesting multiple procedures to be performed on the same or different body features. Access to cosmetic surgery finance has the potential to leave these patients in an incredible amount of debt.

So, how do plastic surgery procedures affect patients mentally? The simple truth is that there are more questions than answers regarding the psychological effects of plastic surgery. Limited long term studies have been conducted and those that have show contradictory findings. Researchers also criticise the small sample sizes and brief with patients that formed part of these studies. What is required at this stage is thorough, large-scale prospective studies of representative samples of patients, using well-established research instruments. The larger percentage of patients do well in terms of mental adaptation after plastic surgery procedures, but some do not and the field needs to be cognisant of this to arrange screening for such would-be patients.

Lately it has become common-place for mental health professionals to work in conjunction with plastic surgeons in order to identify such psychological issues as Body Dysmorphic Disorder. This involves looking at the nature of the individual’s appearance concern, like whether or not the perceived flaw is as noticeable to others as is to the individual requesting the surgery. This includes establishing the patient’s internal motivation for surgery – are they doing it for themselves or to please a partner? Surgeons also have to ensure that patients have realistic expectations regarding the outcome of the surgery rather than expecting the procedure to resolve long-established personal issues.

In many ways the mental health sector is only now starting to catch up with the runaway phenomenon that is cosmetic surgery. Relationships between physical appearance, body image and psychosocial functioning need to be researched, as do those between surgery and psychiatric disorders such as eating disorders, social phobia and sexual functioning. Apart from conducting research, psychologists must also be ready to slot into clinical roles in aiding cosmetic surgery patients – such as conducting pre-emptive assessments that will deem individuals mentally fit for surgery. This may be done by means of empirically based screening questionnaires that will identify patients who may not adjust well after surgery.

It seems although plastic surgery is a common occurrence these days, we are far from completely understanding its psychological implications. If you are considering surgery and not sure if you are a viable candidate, consult your physician. Rather be safe than sorry -as is the case with fire, plastic surgery is a good servant but a bad master.

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Laurille has been considering www.fhf.co.za">medical loans and came across some interesting plastic surgery websites.

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