When is it Too Much of a Good Thing?

Yesterday we filmed an upcoming segment for the local Fox News Affiliate here in Minneapolis, hosted by Medical Correspondent, Dr. Archelle Georgiou.  I was filmed while performing a lower blephaorplasty (lower eyelid surgery).  As I mentioned in an earlier post, my patient has had plastic surgery procedures in the past.  In routine background information, Dr. Georgiou inquired whether I felt that the patient was perhaps choosing cosmetic surgery too often.  In other words, did I think the patient suffered from a possible cosmetic surgery addiction?  As with all my patients, I am careful to evaluate a patient’s motivations for surgery and access unhealthy desires for seeking cosmetic surgery.  In this case, I feel confident that my patient had legitimate concerns regarding the bags under her eyes and that she was an excellent candidate for eyelid surgery.  She expressed realistic expectations from the surgery and in my opinion, she is certainly not a cosmetic surgery addict.

However, while we are on the topic, let me elaborate. There are several characteristics that are common among cosmetic surgery addicts and for the most part, they are not dissimilar to other addictions.  Patients that have Body Dysmorphic Disorder are likely to seek cosmetic surgery to correct “perceived” physical flaws.  This disorder has psychological components and it is unlikely that any amount of cosmetic surgery will correct feelings of physical deformity that may not exist.  This disorder leads some patients to have excessive cosmetic surgery.  As a physician, I feel that it is my duty to refer patients that exhibit these difficulties to the proper psychological care.

Without a doubt there are patients who do suffer from this problem.  The popular media is quick to point out the cosmetic surgery obsessions of Michael Jackson, New York’s “Cat Woman” and Joan Rivers, to name just a few.  What drives these individuals to their extremes?  What about cosmetic surgery outside the qualified plastic surgeon’s office?

In the next few days, I would like to discuss this problem in greater detail, exploring the many facets of Body Dysmorphic Disorder along the way.