The body dysmorphic disorder patient: to perform rhinoplasty or not?

Abstract

By virtue of being a (primarily) aesthetic rather than a functional procedure, rhinoplasty is unique among rhinological operations. As such, it raises moral, philosophical and social issues that no other procedure does. The preoperative assessment of a rhinoplasty patient includes a number of considerations that are unique in this type of surgery; during the outpatient consultation, the patient's motivation for surgery, stability and overall psychological evaluation, with a special emphasis on body dysmorphic disorder, have to be taken into consideration. Body dysmorphic disorder is a relatively common obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder defined by a constant and impairing preoccupation with imagined or slight defects in appearance. Body dysmorphic disorder is associated with poor quality of life, extremely high rates of suicide and--following cosmetic surgery--high rates of dissatisfaction, occasionally manifesting as aggressiveness. A combination of psychological and medical management is the treatment of choice and this review aims to address the frequently controversial rhinoplasty indications for these patients.

• Authors: Panagiotis Ziglinas, Dirk Jan Menger, Christos Georgalas
• Journal: European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol) Vol. 271 Issue 9 Pg. 2355-8 (Sep 2014) ISSN: 1434-4726 [Electronic] Germany
• PMID: 24190759 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Topics

• Body Dysmorphic Disorders (psychology)
• Esthetics
• Humans
• Patient Satisfaction
• Patient Selection
• Quality of Life
• Rhinoplasty (ethics, psychology)