Introduction
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric disorder sourced from an individual’s belief that part of their appearance is ugly or defective. People with BDD are different from ordinary people who are dissatisfied with their appearance since their dissatisfaction manifests in constant attention to a particular body part.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Plastic Surgery
Can Elective Plastic Surgery Reduce the Symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
While as many as 87% of women experience dissatisfaction with parts of their body or weight, not all of them develop BDD (Whitbourne, 2017). The comparison illustrates that BDD development in individuals requires other factors in addition to overall dissatisfaction with a specific part of appearance. For example, being teased about their appearance at an early age when the sense of identity is formed can potentially contribute to the individual’s development of BDD in later stages of life (Whitbourne, 2017). Moreover, cultural perceptions of body image can also influence an individual’s satisfaction with their appearance. Therefore, solving the problem through physical intervention in plastic surgery will not resolve the other factors contributing to the development of BDD.
How Does the Use of Elective Plastic Surgery Exacerbate the Symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
Next, plastic surgery can exacerbate the disorder’s symptoms even in cases of positive results. Thus, since the physical change in appearance will not prevent the individual from looking in the mirror and seeking reassurance from others, their attention will shift to another issue in their appearance. Furthermore, adverse outcomes from plastic surgery, such as differences from the expected results, can significantly affect the stability of people with BDD and force them to spend more time watching their reflection in the mirror. The research conducted by Khattab and Mills (2021) focused on exploring BDD knowledge in aesthetic plastic surgeons. It defined that many specialists think that people with BDD can benefit from plastic surgery.
Conclusion
Therefore, many plastic surgeons agree to opiate people with BDD based on their understanding of different levels of BDD (Khattab & Mills, 2021). However, such an incomprehensible differentiation of patients can have adverse effects on people with severe cases of BDD. Therefore, plastic surgery should be banned for all people with BDD until they recover from the disorder and develop an objective understanding of their appearance.
References
Khattab, N. R., & Mills, D. (2021). BDD knowledge, attitude and practice among aesthetic plastic surgeons worldwide. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 45(5), 2491–2501.
Whitbourne, S.K. (2017). Abnormal psychology: Clinical perspectives on psychological disorders (8th ed.). Dubuque, IA: McGraw-Hill.