Skip to main content
Log in

The Psychiatric View of Patients of Aesthetic Surgery: Self-Esteem, Body Image, and Eating Attitude

  • Published:
Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The patient who presents for aesthetic surgery possesses various demands depending on the characteristic properties of the individual. Evaluation of self-esteem, body image and eating habits in patients of aesthetic surgery could help in understanding patients and their demands. We performed Rosenberg Scale Test for evaluation of self-esteem on 98 patients who presented for any kind of aesthetic surgery. Seventy-five patients who required no operation for body fat tissue were give body imaging scale and eating attitude scale tests. The results of the tests revealed an increase in the self-esteem of the patients, but it was not statistically significant. There was a minor disturbance in the body imaging scale without any statistical significance (p > 0.05).The eating attitude of the patients indicated a disturbance with a ratio of 10% (p < 0.01), and these patients were referred to psychiatrists. Even if patients of aesthetic surgery have no disorder in the perception of their body images, they reflect their aesthetic problems in their eating attitude; however they have no problem in the fat tissue distribution of their body. The aesthetic imperfection could impede the normal daily life of a patient and adaptation to the social life, and this defect is a health problem that should be solved as soon as possible.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. I Attie J Brooks-Gunn (1992) Developmental issues in the study of eating problems and disorders. JH Crowther DI Tennenbaum Se Hobfoll Map Stevens (Eds) The etiology of bulimia nervosa: the individual and familial context. Hemisphere Washington DC 35–58

    Google Scholar 

  2. E Bercheid E Walster (1972) ArticleTitleBeauty and the best. Psychol Today 5 42

    Google Scholar 

  3. G Borah M Rankin P Wey (1999) ArticleTitlePsychological complication in 281 plastic surgery practices. Plas Reconstr Surg 104 1241–1246 Occurrence Handle10.1097/00006534-199910000-00002 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1Mvkt1Slsg%3D%3D

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. J Burk SL Zelen EO Terino (1985) ArticleTitleMore than skin deep: a self-consistency approach to the psychology of cosmetic surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg 76 270

    Google Scholar 

  5. TF Cash CE Horton (1983) ArticleTitleAesthetic surgery: effects of rhinoplasty on the social perception of patients by others. Plast Reconstr Surg 72 543

    Google Scholar 

  6. RP Cole V Shakespeare P Shakespeare JAE Hobby (1994) ArticleTitleMeasuring outcome in low-priority plastic surgery patients using quality of life indices. Br J Plast Surg 47 117–121 Occurrence Handle8149054

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. DM Garner PE Garfinkel (1979) ArticleTitleThe eating attitudes test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychol Med 9 273–279 Occurrence Handle472072

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. GS Georgiade (1997) Plastic, maxillofacial and reconstructive surgery. Williams & Wilkins Baltimore 1189–1197

    Google Scholar 

  9. MK Goin JM Goin (1986) ArticleTitlePsychological effects of aesthetic facial surgery. Adv Psychosom Med 15 84–108 Occurrence Handle3706039

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. MK Goin TD Rees (1991) ArticleTitleA prospective study of patients’ psychological reactions to rhinoplasty. Ann Plast Surg 27 210–215 Occurrence Handle1952747

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. RM Goldwyn (1991) The patient and the plastic surgeon. Little Brown Boston

    Google Scholar 

  12. DL Harris T Carr (2001) ArticleTitleThe Derriford appearance scale (DAS59): a new psychometric scale for the evaluation of patients with disfigurements and aesthetic problems of appearance. Br J Plast Surg 54 216–222 Occurrence Handle10.1054/bjps.2001.3559 Occurrence Handle11254413

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. JS Hasan (2000) ArticleTitlePsychological issues in cosmetic surgery: a functional overview. Ann Plast Surg 44 89–96 Occurrence Handle10651374

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. JA Hollyman JH Lacey PJ Whitfield JSP Wilson (1996) ArticleTitleSurgery of the psyche: a longitidunal study of women undergoing reduction mammoplasty. Br J Plast Surg 39 222

    Google Scholar 

  15. Hovardaoğlu S: The study of reliability and validity of body cathexis scale: Bachelor’s degree thesis, Ankara, Gazi University Institute of Social Science, 1990

  16. GP Hener (1979) ArticleTitleSatisfactions and dissatisfactions of patients with augmentation mammoplasty. Plast Reconstr Surg 64 151

    Google Scholar 

  17. JM Jones S Bennett MP Olmsted ML Lawson G Rodin (2001) ArticleTitleDisordered eating attitudes and behaviors in teenaged girls: a school-based study. CMAJ 165 547–552 Occurrence Handle11563206

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. A Klassen C Jenkinson R Fitzpatrick T Goodacre (1996) ArticleTitlePatient’s health related quality of life before and after aesthetic surgery. Br J Plast Surg 49 433–438 Occurrence Handle8983542

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. M Levine L Smolak (1992) Toward a model of the developmental psychopathology of eating disorders: the example of early adolescence. JH Crowther DI Tennenbaum SE Hobfoll MAP Stevens (Eds) The etiology of bulimia nervosa: the individual and familial context. Hemisphere Washington; DC 59–80

    Google Scholar 

  20. FC Macgregor (1989) ArticleTitleSocial, psychological and cultural dimensions of cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. Aesth Plast Surg 113 1–8

    Google Scholar 

  21. A Mowlavi S Lille K Andrews S Yashar T Schoeller G Weschelberger R Anderson (2000) ArticleTitlePsychiatric patients who desire aesthetic surgery: identifying the problem patient. Ann Plast Surg 44 97–106 Occurrence Handle10651375

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. H Ohjimi N Shioya J Ishigooka (1988) ArticleTitleThe role of psychiatry in aesthetic surgery. Aesth Plast Surg 12 187 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:BiaD2cnotl0%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. F Ozgur D Tuncali G Gursu (1998) ArticleTitleLife satisfaction, self-esteem and body image: a psychosocial evaluation of aesthetic and reconstructive surgery candidates. Aesth Plast Surg 22 412–419 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s002669900226

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. GC Patton R Selzer C Coffet JB Carlin R Wolfe (1999) ArticleTitleOnset of adolescent eating disorders: population based cohort study over 3 years. Br Med J 318 765–768 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1M7osV2jug%3D%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. KA Phillips (1992) ArticleTitlePlastic surgery and psychotheraphy in the treatment of psychologically disturbed patients. Plast Reconstr Surg 90 333

    Google Scholar 

  26. J Polivy CP Herman (1985) ArticleTitleDieting and bingeing: a causal analysis. Am Psychol 40 193–201 Occurrence Handle10.1037//0003-066X.40.2.193 Occurrence Handle3857016

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. M Pugliese F Lifshitz G Grad P Fort M Marks-Katz (1983) ArticleTitleFear of obesity: a cause of short stature and delayed puberty. N Engl J Med 309 513–518 Occurrence Handle6877321

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. M Rankin GL Borah AW Perry PD Wey (1998) ArticleTitleQuality of life outcomes after cosmetic surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg 102 2139–2145 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1M%2FislWnsw%3D%3D Occurrence Handle9811016

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. A Ressler (1953) ArticleTitle“A body to die for:” eating disorders and body-image distortion in women. Int J Fertil Womens Med 43 133–188

    Google Scholar 

  30. DB Sarwer MJ Pertschuk TA Wadden LA Whitaker (1998) ArticleTitlePsychological investigations in cosmetic surgery: a look back and a look ahead. Plast Reconstr Surg 101 1136–1142 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DyaK1c7ntlartQ%3D%3D Occurrence Handle9514352

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. PF Secord SM Jourard (1953) ArticleTitleThe eating attitude scale tests. The appraisal of body cathexis. Body cathexis and the self. J Consult Psychol 17 343–347 Occurrence Handle13109086

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. JK Thompson LJ Heinberg M Altabe S Tantleff-Dunn (1999) Exacting beauty: theory, assessment and treatment of body image disturbance. American Psychological Association Washington DC

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmet Çağrı Uysal M.D..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Alagöz, ., Başterzi, A., Uysal, A. et al. The Psychiatric View of Patients of Aesthetic Surgery: Self-Esteem, Body Image, and Eating Attitude . Aesth. Plast. Surg. 27, 345–348 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-003-3028-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-003-3028-8

Keywords

Navigation