Who Wants Plastic Surgery?

Think only people with low self-esteem have plastic surgery? Think again.

Body satisfaction has no influence on whether a person is interested in most forms of cosmetic plastic surgery, according to a study in October's Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

The study indicates that most people who want plastic surgery have a normal level of body satisfaction, said Richard DAmico, MD, president-elect of the plastic surgeon's group. That is, they are not suffering from low self-esteem.

The study looked at two measures of body image and satisfaction: how the participant rated his or her own attractiveness, and comfort in a swimsuit. Overall body satisfaction in people interested in cosmetic plastic surgery, other than liposuction, did not differ from people who were not interested.

Men and women who were interested in liposuction did report lower body satisfaction than other individuals. People who felt they were too heavy - and people who really were too heavy by objective standards -- were more likely to express an interest in liposuction than those who were satisfied with their weight.

That's a problem, according to doctors. Some believe that liposuction is for weight loss, rather than "body contouring." Dr. DAmico says the procedure works best for people who are near their ideal body weight but have stubborn, localized deposits of fat they want removed.

Not surprisingly, the study shows that people who frequently monitor their appearance are more likely to report an interest in cosmetic procedures than those who paid less attention to their looks. This suggests a strong investment in personal appearance may motivate people to consider plastic surgery.

According to the survey of more than 52,000 people, 48 percent of women were interested in having cosmetic plastic surgery, while 23 percent said they were possibly interested. In addition, 23 percent of men said they were interested in cosmetic plastic surgery and 17 percent were possibly interested.

Contrary to popular belief, older people did not have a higher desire for plastic surgery. The percentage was similar across all age groups for both women and men.

Nearly 11 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were
performed last year, according to the ASPS. Women, who accounted
for 90% of all cosmetic plastic surgery procedures last year, had
9.9 million procedures while men had 1.1 million procedures.