THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COSMETIC SURGERY - A REVIEW AND RECONCEPTUALIZATION

This article discusses the psychology of cosmetic surgery. ii review o f the research on the psychological characteristics of individuals who seek cosmetic surgery yielded contradictory findings. Interview-based investigations revealed high levels of psychopathology in cosmetic su rgery patients, whereas studies that used standardized measurements re ported far less disturbance. It is difficult to fully resolve the disc repancy between these two sets of findings. We believe that investigat ing the construct of body image in cosmetic surgery patients will yiel d more useful findings. Thus, we propose a model of the relationship b etween body image dissatisfaction and cosmetic surgery and outline a r esearch agenda based upon the model. Such research will generate infor mation that is useful to the medical and mental health communities and ultimately, the patients themselves. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd.