Psychological change after aesthetic plastic surgery: A prospective controlled outcome study

Abstract

Aesthetic plastic surgery has been long practiced for primarily psychological rather than physical benefit to patients. However, evaluation of the psychological impact of aesthetic plastic surgery has often been of limited methodological rigor in both study design and appropriate measurement. This study is intended to evaluate the psychological impact of aesthetic surgery on patients seeking such intervention in regard to concerns about breasts, nose or upper limbs using standardised psychometric instruments. Participants were recruited through the Plastic Surgery Unit (Patients) and general surgery, ENT surgery and Maxillo-facial surgery (Comparisons) at a UK General Hospital. Outcome measures included the Crown–Crisp Experiential Inventory anxiety scale, Beck Depression Inventory and Derriford Appearance Scale-24, a valid and reliable measure of distress and dysfunction in relation to self-consciousness of appearance. Data were collected pre-operatively (T1) and 3 months post-operatively (T2) for both groups. Longitudinal appearance adjustment for the plastic surgery group was also assessed at 12 months (T3). Both groups were less depressed and anxious post-operatively. The improvement in anxiety was significantly greater in the plastic surgery group. Body site specific appearance distress was significantly improved for the plastics group only, and the level of improvement was related to the body site affected.