13 Sep What is Body Dysmorphic Disorder?
Body Dysmorphic Disorder – BDD
There are plenty of times when plastic surgery is not the best answer. Sometimes patients are looking for a quick fix and want to visit a plastic surgeon to see if a surgery can fix problems that have nothing to do with surgery. As a plastic surgeon I want to make sure that my patients have specific goals prior to embarking on any type of surgical journey. One such instance of patients looking for surgical answers when there really aren’t any surgical problems is a condition called body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). In patients with this condition plastic surgery might even worsen their overall condition. This can create a challenge for any plastic surgeon, as we have a moral obligation to avoid treating patients with BDD and encourage such patients to seek psychiatric treatments. This is particularly challenging because few of these patients will be very receptive to such referrals.
The following is a list of red flags in patients with BDD:
- Patients obsessively check their appearance in the mirror or avoids mirrors.
- Obvious use of clothing or makeup to obscure the perceived flaw.
- Patients seeks agreement/affirmation of their perceived flaw.
- History of various cosmetic interventions or procedures targeting the perceived flaw.
- History of doctor-shopping and dissatisfaction with results of past procedures.
- Statements indicating occupational/academic/social/functional impairment (“I can’t go out because of this.” Or, “I can’t get a job because of this.”)
- Patients report that he or she believes others think about or discuss the perceived flaw.
- Patients report spending substantial amounts of time thinking about or trying to correct/camouflage the flaw.
- Bottom line, the decision to have plastic surgery is a very important one. Picking the right surgeon is just as important as picking the right reason to have the procedure done in the first place.
If you have questions about this or any other surgical question please contact Dr. Parson at 480-282-8386. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.