BODY-IMAGE DISSATISFACTION AND BODY DYSMORPHIC DISORDER IN 100 COSMETIC SURGERY PATIENTS

This study was the first empirical investigation of body image dissati sfaction and body dysmorphic disorder in cosmetic surgery patients. Of 132 women, 100 women (response rate, 76 percent) completed two body i mage measures prior to surgery, the Multidimensional Body-Self Relatio ns Questionnaire and the Body Dysmorphic Disorder Examination Self-Rep ort Cosmetic surgery patients did not demonstrate greater dissatisfact ion with their overall appearance compared with the reported normal va lues of the measures. However, when asked about the specific bodily fe ature they were considering for cosmetic surgery, they reported signif icantly greater dissatisfaction than a normative sample. In addition, ? percent of the sample met diagnostic criteria for body dysmorphic di sorder, a potential psychiatric contraindication to cosmetic surgery. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to the natur e of body image dissatisfaction and the prevalence of body dysmorphic disorder in cosmetic surgery populations.