Body Dysmorphic Disorder and Aesthetic Surgery

Abstract

BACKGRAUND: Body Dismorphic Disorder (BDD) is a relatively common and severe illness which usually goes misdiagnosed. BDD patients often presents to both mental health professionals and no psychiatric doctors such as plastic surgeons and dermatologists, seeking aesthetic treatment which usually is not the answer to their problem. This disorder matters, and it is a problem for the plastic surgeons because their patients are always unsatisfied with their appearance, they always make problems and even sue their doctors. This disorder is bigger problem for the patients because they are often markedly ill and functionally impaired, and they appear to have unusually high rates of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicide. This is why Body Dismorphic Disorder is important to be diagnosed and properly treated.

AIM: From a total of used literature, emerged the goal of the research, to show the prevalence, the age of patients with BDD, and the outcome of patients that asked for aesthetic operative treatment, and were operated. In the conclusion we discuss about the percent of BDD patients that were treated surgicly, and is operative treatment cure for their actual disorder.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We based our search strategy on PubMed, Embase Medline and Google Scholar using the search terms 'body dysmorphic disorder', aesthetic surgery', 'prevalence', and 'outcome'. Exclusion criteria were articles that were not on English language, non surgical aesthetic articles, articles where BDD was explained, and articles about BDD comorbidity. In the search were included prospective and retrospective studies, and also studies based on the reference lists of the included articles in order to get more information.

RESULTES: The results of scientific research suggest that BDD is noticeable in patients that ask for aesthetic treatment. The lowest percent is 3.2 %, and the highest percent is 53.6 %. The average age of the patients that have Body dismorphic disorder according to the studies included is 40. Only two studies were found where the outcome of the surgical aesthetic treatment of patients with BDD was evaluated, and can be concluded that in low percent, some interventions can help in symptoms improvement in the patients that have Body Dismorphic Disorder.

CONCLUSION: Body Dismorphic Disorder is a common psychiatric disorder that often leads to aestetic surgery. However, pre-operative screening of BDD patients is vital so that efficient treatment can be initiated, patients diagnosed and successfully treated.