Personality traits in aesthetic surgery patients

Abstract

Purpose: It has been known that psychological factors have an important effect on the decision to undergo aesthetic surgery. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that the personality traits of people admitted for aesthetic surgery differ from those of people who have never planned to undergo aesthetic surgery in their lives. Material and Methods: Forty-seven patients who were referred to the outpatient clinic of the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, Kirikkale University to undergo aesthetic surgery were enrolled in the study. Forty-three subjects who neither underwent nor planned to undergo aesthetic surgery at any time in their lives were included in the study as a control group. Psychometric evaluation of the patients and the control group was conducted using the Turkish version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Results: Taking 65 as a cut-off point, the ratio of patients who scored >= 65 on the hysteria subscale of the MMPI was found to be significantly higher in the sugery group than in the control group and the ratio on social introversion subscale was also higher in the patient group than in the control group, very closely approaching significance. Conclusion: It should be kept in mind that people who have personality traits that can be partially improved with psyachiatric treatment, such as social introverted, lonely, timid, shy, and hysterical and feel the need for validation by others, may be more often admitted for aesthetic surgery.