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Quality of life before and after cosmetic surgery

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2013

Jean-Charles Bensoussan
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Michael A. Bolton
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Sarah Pi
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA
Allycin L. Powell-Hicks
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Anna Postolova
Affiliation:
Tulane School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Bahram Razani
Affiliation:
Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Kevin Reyes
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
Waguih William IsHak*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California, USA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: Waguih William IsHak, MD, FAPA, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and Vice Chairman for Education and Research, Cedars-Sinai Department of Psychiatry, 8730 Alden Dr., Thalians E-132, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA. (Email Waguih.IsHak@cshs.org)

Abstract

This article reviews the literature regarding the impact of cosmetic surgery on health-related quality of life (QOL). Studies were identified through PubMed/Medline and PsycINFO searches from January 1960 to December 2011. Twenty-eight studies were included in this review, according to specific selection criteria.

The procedures and tools employed in cosmetic surgery research studies were remarkably diverse, thus yielding difficulties with data analysis. However, data indicate that individuals undergoing cosmetic surgery began with lower values on aspects of QOL than control subjects, and experienced significant QOL improvement post-procedurally, an effect that appeared to plateau with time.

Despite the complexity of measuring QOL in cosmetic surgery patients, most studies showed an improvement in QOL after cosmetic surgery procedures. However, this finding was clouded by measurement precision as well as heterogeneity of procedures and study populations. Future research needs to focus on refining measurement techniques, including developing cosmetic surgery–specific QOL measures.

Type
Review Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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