RT Book, Section
A1 Weisberg, Edmund
A2 Baumann, Leslie
A2 Saghari, Sogol
A2 Weisberg, Edmund
SR Print(0)
ID 1172448533
T1 The Psychosocial Aspects of Cosmetic Dermatology
T2 Cosmetic Dermatology: Principles and Practice, 2e
YR 2009
FD 2009
PB The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
PP New York, NY
SN 9780071490627
LK dermatology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1172448533
RD 2024/04/19
AB In  an  ideal  world,  people  would  base  their  sense  of  self-esteem  only  on  the  content  of  their  character  and  not  their  outward  appearance;  there  would  be  no  discernible  disparity  in  hiring  rates  among  those  considered  attractive  and  those  deemed  unattractive;  and  the  cultural  emphasis  on  or  obsession  with  beauty  would  be  relegated  to  a  level  of  focus  much  closer  to  its  actual  importance.  Needless  to  say,  we  do  not  live  in  an  ideal  world.  Certainly,  there  is  ample  evidence  to  suggest  that  across  a  wide  swathe  of  the  population,  one’s  own  appearance  is  important  on  the  individual  level  and  has  wider  social  implications.  The  American  Society  of  Plastic  Surgery  reports  that  nearly  11  million  cosmetic  procedures  (comprising  cosmetic  surgery  and  minimally-invasive  but  not  reconstructive  procedures)  were  performed  by  board-certified  physicians  in  the  United  States  in  2006,  which  represented  a  7%  increase  over  the  previous  year,  and  a  48%  increase  from  2000.  In  turn,  the  2005  total  represented  a  151%  increase  from  2000  and  a  775%  increase  from  1992  (the  first  year  for  which  the  76-year-old  organization  has  detailed  statistics).  In  2006,  Botox  injections,  chemical  peels,  laser  hair  removal,  microdermabrasion,  and  hyaluronic  acid,  in  descending  order,  were  the  five  most  popular  procedures.1  In  total,  soft  tissue  filler  procedures  (also  including  calcium  hydroxylapatite,  collagen,  fat,  and  polylactic  acid)  collectively  represented  the  second  most  popular  type  of  procedure.  The  top  five  cosmetic  surgical  procedures,  also  in  descending  order,  were  breast  augmentation,  nose  reshaping,  liposuction,  eyelid  surgery,  and  tummy  tuck.  According  to  psychiatric  studies,  the  number  of  “healthy”  people  seeking  aesthetic  surgery  has  increased  steadily  since  1980,  indicating  greater  public  acceptance,  wider  diversity  in  those  seeking  the  procedures,  and  an  evolution  in  the  psychiatric  definition  of  “healthy.”2