A surprising 13.5 million cosmetic surgery procedures were performed in the U.S. just last year. Despite the cosmetic surgery industry’s rise to mainstream acceptability, the sector remains largely unregulated when it comes to preliminary psychological assessments for potential patients.

Psychological health is an important factor that should be taken into consideration during the consultation process. Those with mental health concerns or unrealistic expectations are not typically ideal candidates for cosmetic surgery.

Researchers develop new plastic surgery psychological screening tool

Researchers from the Centre for Appearance of Research (CAR) hope to establish better parameters for evaluating potential cosmetic surgery patients. Based on years of research and clinical experience, CAR researchers, Professor Nichola Rumsey and Dr. Alex Clark have developed a new psychological screening tool that can be used by cosmetic surgeons during the consultation process.

According to Professor Rumsey, “This new screening process is designed to provide a quick and efficient method through which prospective patients can be screened and assessed in more depth where necessary, and then guided to alternative care where appropriate. It will help surgeons to offer care tailored to the needs of their patients, and will generate much needed understanding of the psychological impact of cosmetic surgery.”

The screening tool, which will be presented at an international conference in July, is just the first phase in a much larger scale, multi-site evaluation that will follow cosmetic surgery patients over the course of a year. Researchers hope to establish a psychological profile of cosmetic surgery patients and gain more insight into the psychosocial impacts that cosmetic surgery presents long-term.

Source: phys.org