Is it possible for a procedure to be just ‘skin deep’?

Abstract

Dr Deborah Auer discusses why practitioners should consider a robust assessment process This piece discusses the complexities that sometimes underlie a patient's request for procedures, highlighting the importance of practitioners having a robust and ethical assessment process in place. Research that links psychology with requests for procedures, more often than not, will consider how to assess for body dysmorphia in particular. This does have benefits in identifying patients for whom having a procedure may result in a poor outcome. However, often these measures and/or screening tools do not highlight the more nuanced difficulties a patient may have regarding their relationship with their body. Procedures have a twofold impact: firstly, on the external body that is shown to the world, and secondly, the internal part — an individual's psyche, self-esteem, body image and confidence ( Auer, 2018 ). Therefore, it is paramount that practitioners consider both the physical and psychological wellbeing of their patients.