Many of us have a different, and often more critical view of ourselves than how others perceive us. This is also very true of how we feel about the way we look, but there is a devastating condition which affects a small percentage of people called Body Dysmorphia.
What is Body Dysmorphia?
It is always shocking to see the extreme measures some individuals go to when it comes to changing their body shape or appearance through cosmetic surgery. Quite often these individuals have a psychological disorder called body dysmorphia. Body dysmorphic disorder, or BDD as it can also be referred to, is an anxiety disorder that will cause a person to have a distorted view of themselves and how they look. They may spend excessive amounts of time worrying about their appearance, which often affect every aspect of their everyday life.
What may appear to be a completely normal looking feature to everyone else, to those that suffer with BDD they will often obsess over it daily and try to change their appearance in any way they can.
Is it responsible for a cosmetic surgeon to perform surgery on a person with body dysmorphia?
Mr Ross will recognise patients with this condition through conducting a thorough consultation. When this condition is identified Mr Ross will then refer these patients on to specialist councillors to ensure that these patients are treated appropriately by psychologists for this condition.
Surgeons have a moral obligation to the patient to ensure their safety. This includes not performing surgery on a patient with any psychological illness without a specialist psychiatric evaluation to guide their assessment. Mr Ross will always be truthful with his patients, and if he feels you are not a good candidate for surgery, he will refer you elsewhere to the right individuals and give you advice on how best to proceed.
Media culture and its influence with unrealistic expectations
We can often be quick to blame the media and its constant push for perfection. Most images commonly featured in the media of celebrities and size zero models will undoubtedly have been airbrushed. While many of us are quick to identify this, it frequently causes us to compare ourselves with these altered images, resulting in a negative view of how we see ourselves.
The media can make you feel inadequate, for example after a celebrity has a baby they’re incredibly quick to spring back to their pre-baby bodies and this puts an enormous amount of pressure on women to lose weight straight after birth.
What is often misunderstood is that behind the celebrity is a team of nutritionists, personal trainers, nannies and sometimes surgical or non-surgical procedures as well to help them look fabulous a few weeks after giving birth. Such transformations are not healthy expectations to put on yourself or achievable for the average woman. Although most people understand this and have a realistic view of what they are seeing in the media, such images to those suffering with body dysmorphia can have a devastating effect on those individuals.
Mr Ross is trained and well-practiced in recognising body dysmorphia as a condition and will encourage any individual to seek the appropriate treatment. Mr Ross’s professional and ethical standards ensure that he does not operate on individuals who may be vulnerable without a thorough and detailed evaluation of their medical and psychiatric history.
