1 In 3 Nose Job Patients Has Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Study

Plastic surgeons should take a good, hard look at their nose-job patients before taking out the knife -- and not just to figure out where to cut.

According to a new study, one-third of people who get nose jobs also have symptoms of moderate to severe body dysmorphic disorder, a mental illness where a person is so dissatisfied with real or imagined flaws that it disrupts daily life. The disorder can lead to suicidal thoughts, eating disorders, depression, anxiety and -- as is evidenced by this study -- unnecessary cosmetic surgery.

The new research, reported in the August issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, also shows that body dysmorphic disorder is especially common among people who have had more than one nose job.

However, the study was relatively small -- in just 250 Belgian people who sought plastic surgery to change their noses' appearance. Researchers from the University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium cautioned that larger studies are needed to confirm the finding, "as they will help us in the establishment of guidelines concerning patient selection in aesthetic surgery," they wrote.

The finding is one of the reasons why board-certified plastic surgeons screen their patients thoroughly before performing surgery, American Society of Plastic Surgeons President Dr. Phillip Haeck told ABC News. However, noncertified surgeons may not follow the same protocols.

"Hopefully board certified surgeons are perceptive enough to turn these people down for surgery, but there are a lot of people who are not board certified, and my concern is that these people will shop around until someone will do their surgery," Haeck told ABC News. "The lesson here is for plastic surgeons to remember to say 'no.'"

Body dysmorphic disorder affects 1 to 2 percent of all people, FYI Living reported, and is treated with medication and behavioral therapy.

People with the disorder are most often concerned with their skin imperfections -- such as wrinkles, acne or scars -- or their facial features, the most common one being the nose, according to the Cleveland Clinic. They are also often obsessed with extra hair (or lack thereof) on their heads or bodies.

Comments

[Lilian Vasquez]

12:31 AM on 08/11/2011

Never thoguht about it that way. I wanted to slim my nose since I was a child but surgery was too expensive back in my days in college. Thank God I found the nosesecret inserts, really, the cheapest and most effective fix of my nose.

[BethanySchnepally]

05:33 PM on 08/01/2011

Is this article any surprise? It's a few paragraphs of common sense. Other than those who need a surgery after a disfiguring accident or genetic defect, it only makes sense that many of those who choose to risk their life by undergoing surgery must have an abnormal mental process. Risking their safety for superficiality doesn't sound 100% sane to me.

[onionboy]

01:06 PM on 07/28/2011

Who nose?

[Arthur L]

12:09 PM on 07/28/2011

..but better looking noses.

[philothandrian]

12:06 PM on 07/28/2011

I'm wondering what's with the obsession to have the tiniest nose on the planet...

[philothandrian]

12:04 PM on 07/28/2011

Geeee I wonder why?...couldn't have anything to do with the fact that "perfect beauty" is constantly in your face no matter where you turn and that youth and beauty are idolized in our culture...nah....

[DoesNotComputer]

11:48 AM on 07/28/2011

I think I might have body dysmorphia, and have contemplated getting a nose job.

My nose skews slightly to the left. Mostly when I look in the mirror I don't notice anything, but sometimes it makes my entire face appear warped and grotesque. I know it exists, but I can never be sure to what extent. I've sort of come to the conclusion that many people diagnosed with body dysmorphia don't actually have a disorder, they just have to live with their imperfections gnawing at them in a way that others do not. It's easy to shake your head when the problem is not yours.

[cestpasvrai]

12:15 PM on 07/28/2011

I have the same thing. No one notices it except for me, but boy do I hate having my photo taken because it's the first thing I look at. I also have hooded eyes which I hated for a very long time, but now I've grown to like them. BDD is pretty serious in our culture nowadays and I feel for anyone who suffers from it.

[DoesNotComputer]

03:24 PM on 07/28/2011

Yeah, having my photo taken drives me nuts, as well.

[TheIndependentView]

10:06 AM on 07/28/2011

I'd like to surgically remove a few noses from my business.

...does that count?

[alnicov]

11:47 AM on 07/28/2011

You shouldn't need surgery to do that.

[Statusnaturae]

10:06 AM on 07/28/2011

In my opinion the best plastic surgeries are the ones where people look at you and can't tell what you got done but know you look good

[KIVPossum]

09:49 AM on 07/28/2011

I'd say it extends beyond nose job patients. Many people who rush out for plastic surgery are doing it because they are unable to accept their face, ears, nose

[Maater]

09:41 AM on 07/28/2011

Hey the psychiatric industry and pharma need to make a buck too. There is not one, I repeat not ONE human condition that they have not pathologized. Everything is a disorder, so go to them and give them your money.

[ncconcernedcitizen]

09:28 AM on 07/28/2011

People who get nose jobs aren't happy with their looks? Seriously?

[Julie Delisle]

04:06 AM on 07/29/2011

You'd think those people were more the kind to say "Nose, I love you very, very much, so I'm giving you this special gift."

[Lisa Shields]

09:24 AM on 07/28/2011

Ummm...no offense but the entire Cosmetic Surgery industry is build on people's insecurities. Yes, I know...they do "pro bono" work, here and there...but the bread and butter is based on our fears about the way we look. I know a dozen people who've had work...not a single one was to correct a hair lip, or accidental injury. So why is it shocking, or even news that people have cosmetic surgery because they are mentally ill?

[Sinned39]

09:21 AM on 07/28/2011

Nowadays, there's gotta be a medical "dysfunction" or "disorder" for every human behavior. Its not acceptable to just say that a person might want to improve their looks just for themselves...

[AGooglyMinotaur]

09:25 AM on 07/28/2011

It's totally acceptable... if you did the math, you'd probably figure that's the other 2 in 3.

[ARTIST50]

10:29 AM on 07/28/2011

I had a nose job years ago and it's the best money I've ever spent on myself. I hated my nose because it was awful IMO and after I had it done people would say I looked great but never really know why - that's the mark of a good surgeon. I'm over 60 and I've never had anything else done so it's not like I'm addicted - I just had a problem area that I wanted fixed. I have a 3 year granddaughter that looks just like me - yep, nose and all - and I feel like leaving her a nose job trust fund!!!!

[warloch2]

08:59 AM on 07/28/2011

100 percent of transgender people suffer from Body Dysmorphic disorder. What does that say about the APA and the surgeons who mutilate them?
:-)

[AGooglyMinotaur]

09:23 AM on 07/28/2011

That's completely different. Obviously.