Short-term outcome of rhinoplasty for medical or cosmetic indication

Psychological effects of rhinoplastic operations were evaluated in male and female patients who had sought surgical correction because of psychologica l distress caused by the appearance of the nose or because of a medical ref erral to correct functional disorders. Seventy-two patients selected by gen der and operation motivation were asked to fill out the MPI and the IPAT An xiety scale 2-3 months before and 8 months after the operation. Results at follow-up highlighted a significant decrease of the mean Neuroticism and An xiety scores and an increase in Extroversion scores in the group as a whole . The psychological benefits gained by the female patients were greater tha n those of the males. Patients whose motivation was exclusively aesthetic w ere, overall, more psychologically distressed than those with a functional motivation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc.