INTEREST IN COSMETIC SURGERY AND BODY IMAGE

Studies  with  nonpatient  samples  have  documented  only  weak  and  inconsistent  associations between  global  body  image  satisfaction  and  a  desire  for  cosmetic  procedures.3'4  Research  finds  that cosmetic  surgery  patients  generally  do  not  differ from  nonpatients  in  body  satisfaction,  except  that they  are  more  likely  to  express  strong  dissatisfaction  with  the  specific  body  region  targeted  for surgery.5-7  (See  Further  Notes,  number  1)  In  contrast  to  most  cosmetic  procedures,  however,  interest  in  liposuction  may  be  related  to  global  body dissatisfaction  rather  than  to  site-specific  dissatisfaction  because  body  fat  is  distributed  across  several  regions  of  the  body  (e.g.,  stomach,  hips, thighs, arms). A  second  aspect  of  body  image  related  to  interest  in  cosmetic  surgery  is  appearance  orientation  or  appearance  investment,  a  measure  of  how much  importance  individuals  place  on  their  looks and  how  much  they  pay  attention  to  their appearance.8  It  seems  reasonable  that  individuals who  invest  more  time  and  effort  in  monitoring their  physical  appearance  would  report  greater interest in cosmetic procedures