Mental Health and Plastic Surgery

Unbeknownst to most, a person’s eligibility for plastic surgery is not determined merely by physical health. Among a plastic surgeon’s many considerations when assessing a potential patient for an operation is (and must be) the person’s mental condition. Professional ethics dictate that a plastic surgeon consider the patient’s personal expectations, as well as their tendencies for post-operative psychological reactions and behaviors, before giving the green light. These factors are in some cases even more crucial than mere satisfaction of the surgery results; in fact, in many ways, they can determine a patient’s response and the surgery’s long-term effects on the individual.

Below is a run-down of various mental conditions known to most endanger one who seeks a plastic surgery operation while suffering from at least one of them:

Body Dysmorphic Disorder

This disorder is perhaps the most debilitating condition for anyone seeking plastic surgery purely for aesthetic reasons.

BDD is a psychiatric illness that causes a patient to develop extreme concern towards a physical disorder that is actually incredibly minimal, or imaginary. This concern leads the person to feel extreme stress, anxiety, social and even functional impairment, all because of this physical attribute that is in reality either very slight or nonexistent. A patient diagnosed with BDD spends hours or the whole day obsessing about their supposed physical flaw, derailing normal daily activities and functions.

A patient suffering from BDD will most likely resort to plastic surgery to correct the bothersome feature. However, the condition poses the very real possibility of the patient either not being satisfied upon finding yet another flaw, or finding the final results unfavorable. Furthermore, since plastic surgery procedures have immediate physical side effects including prominent scarring, reddening of the skin, and swelling, the patient will inevitably feel greater stress. Whether or not this stress will completely disappear with the side effects can never be fully determined.

Another thing to consider would be the possibility that the patient will eventually become overly dependent on plastic surgery in order to correct every physical flaw they perceive – both present ones, and those they are likely to identify in the future.

Histrionic Personality Disorder

Individuals suffering from histrionic personality disorder (HPD) share similarities with sufferers of BDD – particularly their excessive concerns for physical appearance and perception.

Patients diagnosed with histrionic personality disorder tend to excessively seek attention and approval from others, and usually use inappropriate seduction, perhaps to augment their psycho-emotional needs. People with HPD usually resort to wearing extremely provocative outfits and constantly seeking affection in order to feel a sense of comfort. HPD patients are usually loud, flirtatious, dramatic, extremely lively, extremely sensitive, and constantly in need to be the center of attention.

Given these characteristics, it is safe to say that individuals suffering from HPD will tend to seek plastic surgery in order to alter what they think needs adjustment in order to obtain their needs. It is not uncommon for a HPD patient to go for such procedures as Botox, liposuction, breast augmentation, and face lift (among a long list). However, plastic surgery may augment the worsening of their condition, making their expectations unrealistic and sending them on a path that will, like the case with BDDs, make them dependent on plastic surgery.

Also, HPD patients tend to make rash decisions – one of them could be getting excessive plastic surgery. Such a condition should make a patient unfit for plastic surgery procedures.

Depressive Personality Disorder

People suffering from depression can have comparatively distorted expectations when it comes to the factors that would remedy their self-impression and outlook on life. They are usually negative, pessimistic, prone to self-criticism and blame, dejected, and low in self-esteem. They see themselves inadequate and worthless, thereby resulting in a brooding, remorseful, and unhappy demeanor.

An individual with depressive personality disorder seeking to get plastic surgery does so with the belief that enhancing their physical appearance will improve their sense of self-worth. This expectation is one of the most common misconceptions about plastic surgery: changing one’s physical appearance does not guarantee higher self-esteem. While the surgical procedure can alter and potentially improve superficial features, this does not equate to positivism, happiness, and an increase in self-worth.

Considering the risks that come with DPD, people suffering from it should be recommended to seek psychiatric or psychological counseling, instead of surgical operations.

Avoidant Personality Disorder

Those suffering from this disorder are characterized as individuals who avoid social interactions and relationships for fear of criticism, judgment, and rejection. They harbor feelings of self-loathing, uselessness, inadequacy and inferiority. Individuals with AvPD are extremely shy, emotionally distant, and find solace, safety, and protection in social isolation.

When faced with what they interpret as criticism, a person with AvPD will respond either with hostility with the intent to emotionally hurt the person (for revenge), or complete withdrawal from the person and the social situation in general.

An AvPD patient seeking plastic surgery may either expect an improved sense of self-worth and happiness through physical alteration, or continuously seek follow-up surgical procedures in order to correct a feeling of self-dejection that will definitely persist. Whichever the case may be, plastic surgery is not the answer.

Individuals suffering certain from psychiatric or psychological illnesses consider plastic surgery as a solution. However, patients who resort to plastic surgery eventually find themselves unsatisfied, and their conditions, worsened. Respectable surgeons consider this factor when assessing a person’s eligibility for any procedure. Instead, patients must seek psychological help for their issues; only then will they receive the comfort they need.

Click here for more information on the psychological aspect of plastic surgery.

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