Psychiatrists have been hard at work and have discovered a new mental disorder which relates to cosmetic surgery. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) begins in early adolescence when a person (usually a girl) becomes aware of her appearance and dislikes it. This is not a rational assessment of one’s appearance however.

A person with BDD is excessively preoccupied with their appearance and continually looking for flaws. BDD can get in the way of daily activities, school work, or doing one’s job properly. It can even turn a person into a social recluse.

  • Some of the signs of BDD are:
  • Wearing too much makeup
  • Being camera-shy
  • Shopping compulsively
  • Touching or picking at your skin’
  • Looking in a mirror at every opportunity
  • Spending a lot of time with your grooming

In a teenager these habits may be common but BDD intensifies them and also causes a lot of emotional pain.

Disqualifying For Cosmetic Surgery?

One of the requirements for a good cosmetic surgery candidate is having realistic expectations about the outcome. But people with BDD are perfectionists. They will always find something wrong, so no cosmetic surgical outcome will be good enough for them.

The emotional distress that BDD sufferers feel would probably send many of them to a cosmetic surgeon. Perhaps knowing more about the potential results of a cosmetic surgery would help a BDD sufferer to accept their own results.

Dr. Rai puts a high priority on patient education. If you are interested in learning more about such procedures as ultrasonic liposuction, breast augmentation, or chin implants, please contact our cosmetic surgery office today.