Is Plastic Surgery Addiction An Issue?

It often seems that the evening news has stories that focus on plastic surgery addictions and people who can’t stop attempting to make changes to their appearance. The frequency of these stories can make it seem like addiction to plastic surgery is a widespread problem. It is generally acknowledged that the problem is serious but not as far reaching as it might seem in the news stories. Even though plastic surgery addiction is an issue that needs to be addressed, there are other reasons that patients choose to have multiple procedures.

One big reason why many people decide to have a plastic surgery procedure is the aging process. As people get older, they will experience a variety of physical changes that they want to improve upon or eliminate altogether from their appearance. For an example of the aging process making changes to the body, consider the lifespan of a female and the types of surgery she might want in her lifetime. These surgical procedures can include:

· A breast lift as gravity can causes the breasts to sag

· Liposuction as she find areas of fat harder to get rid of as she approaches middle age

· A facelift to eliminate sagging skin and wrinkles that appear as her face ages

All of these procedures can be performed individually and many of them can be combined with each other and performed at the same time. Even though this list of surgery examples involves multiple procedures being performed on a person, there is no sign of plastic surgery addiction being an issue in the decision to undergo the above procedures.

Plus, multiple procedures might be necessary to maintain the results from any previous procedures performed on a person. An example would be if a person decides to have breast implants. The implants only last a certain amount of years and there is always the possibility of complications such as the implants shifting after they were placed in the patient. Any changes that need to be made to the implants due to these issues do not indicate that a person is a plastic surgery addict for having multiple procedures performed on the same area.

Having said all of this, there can come a moment when the amount of plastic surgery that a person undergoes can be viewed as being too extreme. The reason a person decides to have multiple procedures often stems from any number of psychological issues. One major disorder related to plastic surgery is body dysmorphic disorder. This disorder can result in a person obsessing over their appearance and feeling that the way to solve any number of problems in his or her life is by making a change in their appearance. Body dysmorphic disorder can have a major impact on the daily life of people suffering from the condition. They will constantly be unsatisfied with their overall appearance and try to find ways to improve how they look in order to make what they see as a positive change in their lives.

No matter how much people want to make a change in their life, it is unrealistic to think that plastic surgery will be the cure to any or all of their issues. Patients need to consult with a board-certified surgeon before undergoing a single procedure or multiple procedures. Trained plastic surgeons are skilled in asking patients questions about why they want to have a procedure in order to identify if the patients have any underlying psychological issues regarding plastic surgery. Surgeons who do identify any psychological issues can lead patients in the right direction in getting the necessary help in treating their addiction issues.

-MA