PSYCHOLOGICAL INVESTIGATIONS IN COSMETIC SURGERY - A LOOK BACK AND A LOOK-AHEAD

This article reviews the history of psychological investigations of co smetic surgery patients. These studies have been designed to address t wo fundamental questions: (1) Are there ''patient types'' or forms of psychopathology that serve as contraindications to cosmetic surgery? a nd (2) What is the likelihood of psychological change following cosmet ic surgery? This review suggests that the research has not fully answe red these questions. In response, we propose a new direction for psych ological investigation, focusing on issues of body image in cosmetic s urgery patients. We discuss the relationship between body image and co smetic surgery and pose several relevant questions for future research .