Does Cosmetic Surgery Boost Self Esteem and Make You Happy?

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It can be true that owning good looks may provide certain advantages in life. But will it make you truly happy?

According to a new European study that was announced last Monday, the researchers found that post-operative patients reported an improvement in their self-confidence. The psychological effects of cosmetic surgery were examined by a group of researchers from the University of Basel and Ruhr Universitat on nearly 550 patients.

The researchers compared three groups, one composed of 544 first-time surgery patients, another 264 who previously had plastic surgery but changed their minds afterwards, and another 1,000 from the general population who claimed that they never were interested in such procedures.

There was a larger desire for among younger people who have slightly above-average incomes, and women comprised 87% of the entire study population. This showed the same results to another study that was released in 2012 which followed more than 1,500 teenage girls for 13 years. It emphasized that the younger population are the more troubled group with the increased likelihood of opting for cosmetic surgery to boost self-esteem.

Read: How to Get the Most Out of Your Cosmetic Surgery

The overall result of the recent research showed no significant differences among three groups when it comes to psychological and health variables. This includes mental health, life satisfaction and depression.

In order to measure these variables, they used a psychological instrument called the “Goal Attainment Scaling”. This was used to assess the goals that were set by the patients or their expectations after the surgery.

The study participants were asked open-ended questions; ten standard goals were enumerated plus two unrealistic ones. These were stated as “All my problems will be solved” and “I’ll be a completely new person”.

In the set of open questions, the patients answered it on the whole more realistically, with answers like “wishes to feel better, “develop more self-confidence”, and “eliminate blemishes”. Only 12% of the respondents answered with unrealistic expectations by wishing that they can be transformed into a new person or even expect impossible results.

The assessment before surgery and ranged from three, six to twelve months after. The participants claimed that they have achieved their desired goal and expressed satisfaction with the results in the long-term.

In comparison to those patients who chose not to undergo the plastic surgery, the patients who did felt healthier, developed better self-esteem, were less anxious, and felt more attractive in general instead of just the area that was enhanced where no adverse effects have been observed.

These study results prove that it is important to set realistic expectations before going head on with cosmetic surgery. This is certainly a critical aspect not only in achieving successful results, but one that you can be happy and satisfied with.

Another additional factor which ensures an improvement in your self-esteem is the quality work that can result afterward. This can be achieved by carefully choosing a highly qualified surgeon who has a good range of experience in performing the surgery of your choice.

Even though cosmetic surgery may not always be the solution, but under the right preparation and mindset, the results can make you happy.