“When I’m Perfect, I’ll Be Happy”: Preliminary Insights into Post-Operative Psychological Results of Cosmetic Surgery amongst Canadian and German Nationals

Proceedings of The 3rd International Conference on Research in Psychology

Year: 2023

DOI:

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“When I’m Perfect, I’ll Be Happy”: Preliminary Insights into Post-Operative Psychological Results of Cosmetic Surgery amongst Canadian and German Nationals

Megan E. Davies

ABSTRACT: 

This study explored preliminary insights into post-operative psychological results of cosmetic surgery amongst Canadian and German nationals, with the aim of identifying psychosocial factors and comorbidities that should be integrated into surgical candidacy selection processes. Post-surgical outcomes of N=26 CIS-gender female patients aged 21 to 40 (mean age = 25.54 years) who have undergone one or more cosmetic surgeries (mean age at time of first cosmetic surgery = 21.77 years) are reviewed. Undergone cosmetic surgeries include breast enhancement (i.e., augmentation, lift, or reduction), rhinoplasty, liposuction, filler treatment (i.e., Botox, filler, or lip injections), labiaplasty, and excess skin removal. Results indicate that patients who had previously been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder reported a high overall life satisfaction after undergoing cosmetic surgery. Additionally, extraversion correlated with achieving desired results, high overall life satisfaction, and having a positive experience with undergoing cosmetic surgery. Patients who scored high in agreeableness reported planning to undergo cosmetic surgery again and a high overall life satisfaction, and reconstructive motivation for having surgery appears to predict a positive experience with cosmetic surgery.

keywords: Big Five, Comorbidity, Cosmetic Surgery, Post-Surgical Outcomes, Surgical Motivators