PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF RHINOPLASTY
ALVIN I. GLASGOLD, M.D., AND SUSAN B. HOROWITZ, PH.D., NEW BRUNSWICK
Assessing the psychological and social consequences of rhinoplasty, 139 patients were mailed questionnaires to measure change in three areas: attitudes towards physical appearance, self-esteem, and social relationships. A majority of patients reported increased self-esteem and improved attitudes.
A recent article in the science section of The New York Times indicated that attractive people are perceived as more poised. sensitive, sincere, intelligent, and successful than others.' Along with the recent increase in publicity about cosmetic surgery, this would tend to reinforce the positive value of this type of surgery. If this is true, do people who undergo a change in appearance equally change in a positive psychological sense? Are they perceived differently? Do they make social gains? Do they change in their relationships to friends and family?
Since the 1940s. numerous studies have focused on the motivations and characteristics of individuals seeking rhinoplasty. Several researchers report a high degree of emotional disturbance among the population seeking rhinoplasty.'''' A common psychiatric view-point, based on unconscious conflict and symptom substitution, suggests that rhinoplasty is likely to have an unpredictable, negative psychological effect or, at best, no effect at all. In May 1980, Shulman discussed assessment of the prospective rhinoplasty patient in terms of psychopathology, emphasizing the need for routine psychiatric screening.
Researchers may have been overly concerned with documenting the motivations and psychiatric symptomatology of candidates for rhinoplasty as opposed to focusing on the psychological and social gains actually made following surgery. This study considers the question of positive psychological change which follows cosmetic rhinoplasty. The researchers attempt to answer the following questions: Are patients satisfied with the results of their surgery? Are there specific psychological changes in patients following rhinoplasty? What is the significance of the patient's preoperative expectations?
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