If you’re thinking about plastic surgery to change something on your body, perhaps a breast augmentation, facelift or liposuction, you do so because you have a desire to look better. What you might not know is that you likely will not only look better but feel better about yourself after your plastic surgery with our NW Indiana plastic surgery practice.
A study published by Australia’s Association for Psychological Science reveals multiple positive psychological benefits of aesthetic surgery. Some of them are obvious, such as a rise in self-esteem and self-confidence. Others include a decrease in social anxiety (particularly true for those with facial surgery such as an eyelid lift or facelift, the results of which are the most obvious to other people), as well as improvement in mood, life satisfaction and an increased commitment to physical health.
It should be noted that these potential psychological benefits are linked to post-surgery expectations. For example, even the most skilled plastic surgeon cannot make a 60-year-old look 20 again; if that is the expectation that my patient has, he or she will, naturally, be disappointed. It is always my goal to help my Indiana plastic surgery patients to understand the expected outcome—what can be done and what cannot be done. By doing so, I both increase my patient’s knowledge of the procedure and confirm or reform their expectations.
Can there be negative psychological results post-surgery? Yes. These include the aforementioned poor understanding of realistic outcomes, as well as dissatisfaction with aesthetic surgery that was prompted by another person, such as a spouse or partner. I discourage my patients from any procedure that is undertaken to please someone other than themselves. It’s important that whatever procedure or treatment that is chosen (even minor ones like injections of Botox, Juvéderm, etc), the commitment to have that procedure or treatment comes from my patient’s personal desires, not pressure from someone else. Obviously, an individual with a history of depression, body dysmorphic disorder or other ongoing psychological problems is less likely to be satisfied after cosmetic plastic surgery because although it may address their physical concerns it will not solve their psychological ones.
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Psychological Health and Aims of Aesthetic Surgery Seekers
To Your Health & Beauty,
Gus Galante, MD, FACS
Board Certified NW Indiana Plastic Surgeon
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