Plastic surgery that dramatically changes a person's appearance can have detrimental effects on their sense of identity. Psychologists, people tend to overlook the attachment they have to their facial features. The psychologist and author, Dr. Vivian Diller told BuzzFeed, after a major surgery that changes appearance, patients often realize that “imperfection is actually part of their identity.
When those unique characteristics disappear, a person's self-definition may suffer. Dr. Diller said patients can feel disconnected from their new faces, faces that no longer feel like theirs. However, most patients say the opposite, that instead of looking like a better version of themselves, they want to look like a certain actor or model.
This indicates an inherent desire to become another person, a famous person who, in the patient's mind, lives a trouble-free and seemingly perfect life. This, said Dr. Lorenc, it's “a warning sign.”. Lorenc said that if he suspects that a request for cosmetic surgery stems from an underlying psychological condition such as body dysmorphic disorder, he refers patients to a psychiatrist.
However, Daniela Schreier, a therapist who has treated patients with problems related to plastic surgery, says that this type of examination is not done often enough. While he often sees patients who have later regretted their surgeries, he said the plastic surgeons he has spoken to are not willing to make psychological screening an industry requirement. Some of them, he said, are worried that this will hurt their business. Dra.
Diller echoed his thoughts, saying 'there are unscrupulous people in every field', with plastic surgery being no exception. However, although surgeons are increasingly aware of the need for psychological examinations, they may not prevent all problems. While most top surgeons seem to avoid the kind of multioperative remake that made Heidi Montag unrecognizable, it can be difficult to predict to what extent cosmetic procedures, especially drastic ones, will affect a person's sense of self. Surgeons like Lorenc can detect body dysmorphic disorder, but they can't always determine if their patients will continue to feel like themselves when their faces are completely different.
Gradual changes over a period of time, which many celebrities, such as Megan Fox, opt for, may be easier to adapt than a single procedure that happens all at once. But our own sense of identity, especially in relation to appearance, usually solidifies at an early age, during adolescence. Therefore, any physical change, big or small, will require some kind of mental adjustment. And when changes are important, adjustment can take a long time.
Women who had surgery before this “new wave of understanding” among doctors, said Dr. Diller, are now suffering from long-term psychological problems as they enter their fifties and sixties. So, while going under the knife is usually a means to achieving a beautiful ending, allowing patients to feel better about themselves and their appearance, it turns out that it could have the opposite effect. The opinions expressed in the above contents are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday %26 Metro Media Group. However, a new study found that plastic surgery not only helps you look aesthetically pleasing, it also affects how others perceive your personality. Does plastic surgery make patients feel better? Studies have shown that people report greater satisfaction with the part of the body they had surgery on, but the results are contradictory as to whether plastic surgery increases their self-esteem, quality of life, self-confidence, and long-term interpersonal relationships. Comparative studies showed that certain personality characteristics are associated with patients requesting cosmetic surgery.
While evaluations 18 months after surgery showed no major personality changes, self-concept improved. Certain disturbing personality patterns indicative of psychological risk were identified. These were more in the range of personality disorders, exemplified by infantile, narcissistic and manipulative personalities than in the psychotic, psychoneurotic or psychosomatic ranges. We recommend a simple method of counseling with interview questions designed to identify the underlying psychological manifestations and to control the possible problem of the patient.
Most studies report that people are generally satisfied with the outcome of cosmetic procedures, but little rigorous evaluation has been done. Earlier this year, researchers conducted a study to examine the psychological effects of plastic surgery. Reilly and colleagues found that a facelift and lower eyelid surgery were the two procedures to show statistically significant changes. The number of cosmetic procedures increased by 44 percent from 2003 to 2004, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
The Fox show gives contestants plastic surgery and then makes them compete in a beauty contest, which last year Stiles won. But on Fox's reality makeover show, The Swan 2, she transformed into a beauty queen after a series of plastic surgery procedures: brow lift, lower eye lift, mid-face lift, fat transfer to lips and cheek folds, laser skin treatments aged, tummy tuck, breast lift, liposuction of the inner thighs and dental procedures. In addition, plastic surgery issues will increasingly affect clinical psychologists, and the area will offer them new functions, such as conducting evaluations of patients before and after surgery, says psychologist David Sarwer, PhD, director of the Education, Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition, such procedures are performed by a variety of different professionals, including cosmetic doctors, dermatologists and plastic surgeons.
For example, in a study, the National Cancer Institute found in 2001 that women with breast implants were four times more likely to commit suicide than other plastic surgery patients the same age as women who had breast implants, says Zuckerman, who in April in a testimony from Food and Drug La Administration (FDA) urged FDA to deny approval of silicone gel breast implants due to lack of longitudinal research to ensure their safety. In the case of the before and after study, subsequent photos were perceived as more pleasant because facial surgeries soften the surface of the skin. Michael Reilly of Georgetown University and his colleagues found in a report published in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. Understanding the connection between plastic surgery and mental health is a vital tool when it comes to planning your recovery from plastic surgery.
More extensive (“type change”) procedures (e.g. rhinoplasty) appear to require greater psychological adjustment by the patient than “restorative” procedures (e.g., facelift). . .
