Plastic Surgery

They are interviewed on talk shows like Oprah and Dr. Phil - plastic surgery addicts. People, often women, who think that just one more surgery, just one more fix, will make them perfect. Often, these plastic surgery addicts have a perfect image in mind that they want to attain, whether it be a celebrity that they are trying to emulate, or their ideal picture of what they should look like. What causes someone to be addicted to plastic surgery? Is plastic surgery a bad thing?

First, plastic surgery is not always a bad thing. Like anything in life, the benefits of plastic surgery can be over done. Children, for example, who are born with severe deformities, can benefit from plastic surgery giving them a new lease on a social life. Whether we like it or not, our society is a visually oriented society and those who have severe deformities are often shunned. Whether or not this should be, it is and plastic surgery benefits people in these situations.

But what about normal, even beautiful, looking people who feel the need to have plastic surgery? The fact is that two thirds of the first time plastic surgery patients come back for more surgery. Once they have overcome the fear and trepidation surrounding having the first surgery, many come back for a second round, trying to attain the perfect look.

One of the reasons for this addiction might be the unattainable perfection that is put forth as beauty in today's media. Today's society is highly visual and the people who are seen on television and fashion runways are unattainably beautiful. So the average person turns to plastic surgery to try to attain this perfection.

Plastic surgery addiction often stems from a condition called body dysmorphic disorder. This is a disorder that causes a person to consider themselves hideous, not matter how attractive they really are. They feel that if they are not happy, then they must not be beautiful and in order to be happy, they must become beautiful. The problem is that the lack of happiness does not stem from their physical appearance. Once people with this condition turn to plastic surgery, they have to go back for more, because the change in their appearance does not bring the desired effect on their happiness.

If you suspect someone might be addicted to plastic surgery, there are a few things you can look for to determine if the addiction is true. Someone who seeks multiple plastic surgeries, particularly on the same or similar areas of the body, are often addicts. Also, those who have body dysmorphic disorder, which often leads to cosmetic surgery addiction, are often obsessive about checking their appearance. They also might be obsessive about the looks of a favorite celebrity or two. If you notice these signs in someone you love, seek professional counseling, because the problem goes far deeper than the appearance on the outside. Body dysmorphic disorder and plastic surgery addiction are serious and potentially devastating, psychological problems. Take them seriously and get help for the one you care about!