Skin Deep: The Psychology Behind Plastic Surgery
August 7th, 2011Plastic surgery has experienced a boom of over 700% in the past decade. More and more men and women have accepted plastic surgery as a quick-fix method to achieve physical beauty. In today’s hectic, fast-paced way of life, many people simply do not have the time to truly work on whatever part of their body they’re not entirely satisfied with. Instead, they turn to the so-called miracles of science for help.
Many of those who opted to have plastic surgery were driven to take extreme measures due to their preoccupation with youth. For these people, remaining as young as doable was the main neutral to be achieved, regardless of the cost. Today, cosmetic surgery is also seen as a way for people with facial deformities to regain or enhance their appearance. In essence, it’s a field of medicine dedicated to relieving anxiety disorders and mental health problems caused by perceived “imperfections” in the body. And so, why exactly do most cosmetic surgery offices have an in-house psychologist?
The answer is deceptively easy, if one takes the time to look at the nature of the field. Cosmetic surgery might not appear to touch upon any aspect of mental health aside from the apparent results on self-esteem, however the reality begs to differ. Cosmetic surgery is carefully tied to a person’s psychology, especially during the period before the patient goes under the knife. The presence of a psychologist in the offices of a cosmetic surgeon is because when people ask for a cosmetic procedure, there is often a psychological reason behind it. This doesn’t mean everyone that asks for a liposuction or breast augmentation has problems with their mental health. Rather, this means the psychologist is there to evaluate whether or not the surgery will satisfy the person’s desire for improvement or if it is simply a sign of a deeper problem.
Many people might not take the possibility of mental health being tied to cosmetic surgery critically, but people who have observed the effects of body dismorphic disorder beg to argue. For people who’ve realistic expectations on what cosmetic surgery can do for them, an enhancement here and there is generally enough. Nevertheless, many people have become psychologically conditioned to see themselves as “imperfect” or “ugly” regardless of their appearance. It is these individuals that might end up coming back to some cosmetic surgeon’s office again and again. It’s these people that a resident psychologist has to spot before the process is concurred upon, to prevent additional harmful the mental health of the patient.
Psychologists are also there to assess the reasons behind a person’s choice to undergo surgical treatment, especially if the process is one that can create drastic modifications. In most countries, a mortal will only be permitted to undergo a gender reassignment surgery only after a detailed and prolonged psychological evaluation. For drastic methods, it is often best that the surgeons have an understanding of the various factors why an individual is asking for something to be done. This is necessary to steer clear of cases where the surgery did more harm to a person’s self-esteem and mental health than good.
In cases where the surgery is more re-constructive than cosmetic, the psychologist might be called upon to evaluate the person’s psychological health and willingness to return to a normal life. Many people who’ve undergone great bodily trauma that requires plastic surgery might not be psychologically prepared to resume a regular life. It is difficult to determine whether or not having re-constructive surgery done can help an individual recover from the trauma they have endured, or it it will only make things even worse.
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