Twelve million Americans had cosmetic procedures in 2007 compared to two million only ten years ago in 1997. (The procedures included both surgical and non-surgical procedures.) Our beauty-obsessed culture drives the increasing demand for quicker, better, longer-lasting cosmetic surgical procedures to the point that the quest itself becomes addictive.
Reality TV and celebrity attention play into a belief that physical perfection, however it is individually defined, is attainable. According to recent studies, 66 percent of all patients who have a single cosmetic surgery will return to have another. They return, not because the first surgery failed, but because it succeeded and now the patient wants more.
Cosmetic surgery can become addictive for a number of different reasons. It is most often linked to a distorted body image and low self-esteem and in some instances becomes so pronounced that it falls into the arena of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). BDD is most commonly linked with bulimia and anorexia nervosa, but in the last eight years, cosmetic surgery addiction has joined their ranks.
Patients who are addicted to cosmetic surgery get a high from the anticipation of the surgery, the preparation, and finally the positive comments after surgery. However, the attention received from the first surgery wanes, and the need for the emotional fix increases.
Complicit, some say, in feeding this addiction are the plastic surgeons themselves. Surgeons are well aware of the signs of cosmetic surgery addictions and too often give only lip service to pre-surgery counseling. Since surgical procedures that lead to addiction are all elective surgery, some physicians say that they are obligated only to present the information to the patient. The patient, they say, has the final word.
Addiction to cosmetic surgery is not only financially costly; the patient pays a high price in yo-yo-ing self-esteem, and often damage to their over-all health. Repeated cosmetic surgeries can lead to permanent deformity and loss of function to some muscle groups. Further cosmetic surgery addiction and BDD are serious psychological conditions that need treatment.
Cosmetic surgery costs a fortune. Getting a bad cosmetic surgery can cost even more. Click here to find out why: http://www.cosmeticsurgery-cost.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clare_Eisenman |
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