Acceptance of cosmetic surgery: scale development and validation

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Cosmetic Surgery Research

Background:

• Societal pressures and media influence contribute to evolving attitudes towards cosmetic surgery.
• Understanding the psychological factors influencing the decision to undergo cosmetic procedures is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS).
• To explore the relationships between cosmetic surgery acceptance and psychological factors such as appearance satisfaction and makeup use.

Main Methods:

• Four studies involving 1288 adult and undergraduate participants (women and men) were conducted.
• The Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS), a 15-item measure, was developed and validated for reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity.
• Correlational analyses were used to examine relationships between ACSS scores and other variables.

Main Results:

• The ACSS demonstrated good reliability and validity.
• Acceptance of cosmetic surgery was negatively correlated with satisfaction with physical appearance.
• Acceptance was positively correlated with attitudes towards makeup use.
• Fear of becoming unattractive was a stronger predictor of cosmetic surgery acceptance than the hope of becoming more attractive.
• Cosmetic surgery attitudes were positively related to age in women, but not in men.

Conclusions:

• The Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale is a reliable and valid measure.
• Factors influencing cosmetic surgery acceptance include appearance satisfaction, makeup attitudes, and fear of unattractiveness.
• Age moderates cosmetic surgery attitudes differently in women and men, suggesting distinct psychosocial influences.