Outcomes from psychological assessment regarding recommendations for cosmetic surgery

Demand for cosmetic surgery is on the increase; in the public sector this places dual pressure upon psychological services to conduct relevant pre-surgical assessments and also upon medical services to conduct indicated surgeries. If psychological needs are identified at assessments, this creates 'on-costs' for psychological services, in terms of providing the necessary and indicated psychological interventions. The current study attempted to investigate clinical outcomes from psychological assessments for cosmetic surgery, through identifying the rate and range of possible outcomes and examining factors associated with such outcomes. The sample consisted of 62 females seeking cosmetic surgery concerning the appearance of either their breasts or their stomachs; 23 sought breast augmentation, 23 sought breast reduction and 18 sought abdominoplasty. Participants were seen for psychological assessment, during which a clinical screening interview was performed and various validated self-report measures completed. Results indicate that women seeking breast augmentation were more likely than women in the other groups to be recommended to receive either psychological treatments prior to surgery or psychological treatments alone. Lower levels of psychological distress were associated with recommendations for surgery. The results are discussed in terms of identified methodological short-comings of the study and the potential role of psychological assessments in the care pathway of people seeking cosmetic surgery.