ABSTRACT
Introduction:
Individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) may seek cosmetic surgery to correct a perceived defect. BDD prevalences ranging from 6% to 24% and up to 53% have been reported among cosmetic surgery patients. Recent studies have been conducted to identify the pathophysiology of BDD symptoms using neuroimaging, as well as the relationship of BDD to other disorders (e.g., obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa, social anxiety, and somatization disorder), and means to distinguish delusional from non-delusional beliefs as an expression of a single mental disorder at different severity levels. Retrospective studies have however suggested that BDD patients do not benefit from cosmetic surgery. This paper aimed at providing an overview of the current research on BDD and identifying psychopathological characteristics of BDD in cosmetic surgery patients.
Methods:
The PubMed and Embase databases were searched by crossing the keywords “plastic surgery”, “aesthetic surgery” and “body dysmorphic disorder”.
Results:
The prevalence of BDD was high among cosmetic surgery patients. No prospective studies were found on the impact of cosmetic surgery on BDD patients.
Conclusion:
BDD needs to be adequately assessed during patient selection for cosmetic surgery to optimize the quality of care provided and the quality of life of patients with BDD.
Keywords
Plastic surgery; Body dysmorphic disorders; Body image; Personality disorders