Is Plastic Surgery Fueling Mental Illness?

Plastic surgery has always been a little controversial. It started out as a way to actually help people and has become a way to cheat your genes to fit Hollywood’s standards.

We have always been asking the same questions: is it okay to make a profit off of someone’s insecurities? Is it okay to tell them they need to change?

One new study makes these questions even harder to answer. New research from Belgium shows that one in three people who receive nose jobs suffer from Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). It is important to understand that BDD is a mental illness. It is not just the insecure feelings we all go through at times. It is a psychiatric condition that makes one obsess over tiny or even imagined flaws.

What does this new data mean for the plastic surgery industry?

Frankly speaking it means that this industry is making millions off of peoples’ mental illness. The study recommends that doctors refrain from giving surgery to patients who show signs of BDD, but I’m skeptical that they will give up such a huge chunk of their client base.

These surgeries have gotten so out of hand that they are being given to young girls to stop them from getting bullied. Hospitals need to take these recommendations seriously and create guidelines about who should receive surgery and who shouldn’t. If not, these doctors are only fueling a mental illness that can lead to depression and even suicide.

Contact the author here: jennY@morningquickie.com