One thing is clear.

Cosmetic surgery stems from low self esteem and non-

acceptance of ourselves. If we truly liked and loved ourselves we wouldn’t feel the
need to change anything. Women especially, are conditioned to look good. There is
so much pressure to be beautiful and thin and it causes emotional distress and
immense amounts of self loathing in women all over the world.

We are bombarded with perfect images of women on a daily basis. Just look up at
an advertising billboard or read a magazine and perfection stares back at you. It is
easy to forget that the image you see is probably the best one of a hundred photos
taken and has more than likely been airbrushed as well. Yet, these pictures of slim
attractive women trigger our insecurities and self doubt and usually cause us to
reach for the first doughnut we can lay our hands on…and so the self loathing
continues.

There are a number of issues for which people choose to go under the knife. Whether it's to fix a
condition or simply to improve a person's appearance, plastic surgery has increased in popularity
over the years for a variety of reasons. Now, a new study suggests people could be opting for
plastic surgery aimed at a little mood boost.

Research published in Clinical Psychological Science reports that plastic surgery patients could
experience more joy in life, a higher sense of satisfaction and greater self-esteem. The study's
authors looked at nearly 550 first-time patients and more than 260 people who had always
wanted plastic surgery but ultimately decided not to go through with the procedure. These groups
were compared to more than 1,000 people who have never been interested in cosmetic surgery.
Within the different groups, there were no differences in terms of mental health and overall life
satisfaction.

The questionnaire
The research authors used psychological tests on the patients prior to their surgery, as well as
three, six and 12 months after the procedure. In order to gauge expectations prior to surgery,
some of the questions on the psychological test involved on the test included "All of my problems
will be solved," "I'll be a completely new person," and "I want to develop more self-confidence."
The study's authors found that only 12 percent of respondents felt the first two unrealistic
answers would come true following surgery.

Patients show happy results

When comparing the results of the psychological tests of the surgical patients to those who had
not had plastic surgery, people who went under the knife had higher self-esteem, experienced
less anxiety and felt healthier overall. Additionally, those who opted for the procedure reported
that they were happier with their bodies as a whole, not just the area on which they had work
done.

Plastic surgery a growing trend

The increase in self-esteem following surgery could be behind the growing number of people
who have opted to go under the knife in recent years. According to statistics from the American
Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, more than 10 million cosmetic procedures were performed
last year in the U.S. alone.

The most popular procedures last year included breast

augmentation, liposuction, abdominoplasty, eyelid surgery and rhinoplasty. Women made up the
majority of those who underwent a cosmetic procedure, accounting for 9.1 million of the 10
million who had procedures.
Changing your physical attributes undoubtedly will change your outlook on
life. If you feel more comfortable in your own skin then your outlook on
life is bound to change as well. In general, you will be much happier and
you will be able to concentrate more on the quality of your personal and
professional life due to the fact that you will not be distracted by the
problems with your own appearance.
Looks matter. Focusing on appearance is nothing new. And the growing
popularity of plastic surgery has, to some extent, normalized changing our
bodies to fit our ideals.
Cosmetic surgery can improve appearance and benefit a person on a superficial
level

2) Confidence can be improved by altering the attitude of the person having surgery.
Some people need very little to jump start their image of themselves in a positive
direction and tweaking their physical appearance can be the boost they need in
order to see themselves differently. It is not just about the surgery in itself though,
there is a change in attitude that helps the transformation

3) Cosmetic surgery helps people to feel more accepted by others and less inferior
to some degree.

People born with birth defects like cleft palate have difficulty in
speech. For this reason, they might find it hard to express what they
want to say and at the same time be teased by other children growing
up. This can affect them emotionally and can drive them to think less
of themselves and have low self-esteem. On the other hand, burn
victims and women who have undergone mastectomy can also get
affected with their conditions and might not be able to feel comfortable
facing other people. With plastic surgery, these problems can be
addressed and eventually, patients will be able to regain their self-
esteem.