Many people talk about ‘plastic surgery addicts’ and it is not uncommon that one of my patients in my Indianapolis plastic surgery practice ask if I see many of them. While it is true that there clearly are some who are addicted to getting plastic surgery, and they are well illustrated on the internet and in magazines, but this type of psychiatric pathology is quite rare. It is not as common as it is touted. Just like the rare medical conditions known as Munchausen’s (self-inflicted medical problems) or Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (self-multilating behavior), true plastic surgery addiction (PSA) is equally infrequent. PSA is a body dysmorphic disorder where there is a disconnect essentially between what one sees and how one actually looks. In essence, there isn’t any physical or discernible cosmetic problem.
What is exceptionally common, however, is a different type of psychological response which is not pathologic. That is the patient who returns for further plastic surgery procedures after an initial successful one. A behavior that is well known in psychological circles and is called accomplishment feedback. It is also observed and used in motivational and sales training. The more one achieves, the more inclined one is to do want to do more.
Accomplishment feedback is exactly why an estimated 25% to 35% of patients in any plastic surgery practice account for repeat business. ( I am talking here about a significant commitment such as surgery, not something that is much easier to do like Botox) I have read estimates that are as high as two-thirds of repeat surgery patients but that is not accurate in my experience. Once someone has had a successful change in a body part, it does make them think about moving on to another area of cosmetic concern.
Returning for further plastic surgery procedures for most patients is a healthy and perfectly natural response. Cosmetic plastic surgery is about improving one’s self-image and it usually does this very successfully. Most repeat plastic surgery patients usually only do it twice and occasionally a third time over a several year period. This is a quite different frequency than that seen in PSA. In addition, repeat patients often go to different body areas as they have further procedures. PSA patients will tend to continue to operate on the same body region, most commonly the face.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana