Plastic surgery is booming, but what's the mental cost of changing your appearance? Most people are motivated to undergo Aesthetic surgery because of body-image dissatisfaction; they want to look normal, they don't want to stand out in an obvious way or to have features which cause comment or make them feel self-conscious. They also want their physical appearance to be more in line with their personalities and feel that they want all the bits of their bodies to match.

When does changing your appearance qualify as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)? The majority of BDD patients who have Aesthetic surgery do not experience improvement in their BDD symptoms, often asking for multiple procedures on the same or other body features. Plastic surgeons need to look for the nature of the person's appearance concern, such as whether a patient has an excessive concern with a body feature that appears normal to nearly anyone else. Part of that also includes accounting for patients' internal motivations for surgery-are they doing it for themselves or out of pressure from a romantic partner or friend? They also have to ensure patients hold realistic expectations about the procedures, rather than expecting the surgery to end long-standing personal issues.

Does plastic surgery make you feel better? Studies have shown that people report increased satisfaction with your body part you had surgery on, but results are mixed on whether plastic surgery boosts your self-esteem, quality of life, self-confidence and interpersonal relationships in the long term. The truth is that the beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so just feel better accepting yourself!