A recent study by Fortunato et al21 surveyed patients who underwent a mastectomy with or without breast reconstruction over a 10-year period. The results of the 328 patients revealed that emotional and social functioning scores improved significantly in the cohort that underwent breast reconstruction after a mastectomy compared to the cohort that did not undergo reconstruction. 21 Despite this finding, 21% of the patients were dissatisfied with their reconstruction or regretted their decision to perform it, 21 regret for the decision based on the type of breast reconstruction was not evaluated. Fifteen years later, Zoë is now 31 years old and believes that body dysmorphia was at play.
According to the American Psychological Association, body dysmorphia is defined as concern for a mild or imaginary defect in the appearance of a person. One study suggested that between 5 and 15% of people interested in cosmetic procedures have a body dysmorphic disorder. Most of the research on regret in plastic surgery revolves around breast reconstruction, and when reading this review you should take into account the lack of sufficient studies on the subject. Women make up the majority of plastic surgery patients, and the most common age range is 30 to 54 years.
Plastic surgery procedures that are commonly performed on teenagers for medical reasons or because bullying has become relentless include breast reduction surgeries for teenagers with back, neck and shoulder pain, some nose operations, and surgery to place pins in the ears. While the United States leads the number of procedures performed, other countries such as South Korea, Brazil, and Japan also have high rates of plastic surgery per capita. Comparing regret after plastic surgery to regret after plastic surgery and other important life decisions is a novel approach that can give an idea of the magnitude of this problem. The benefits of plastic surgery include improved physical appearance, increased self-esteem, and the ability to correct medical problems such as birth defects or injuries.
On the other hand, the potential disadvantages of plastic surgery include the risk of complications, the cost, and possible dissatisfaction with the results if expectations are not realistic. This systematic review and literature review was designed to provide a framework for understanding regret after gender-affirming surgery in the context of other medically necessary elective surgeries, as well as important life decisions. Importantly, this systematic review does not seek to equate the decision to undergo gender-affirming surgery with other surgeries or elective decisions, but rather aims to provide a framework for understanding feelings of regret through a larger life experience. A systematic review of three databases was conducted to investigate regret after regular plastic surgery operations.
Rod Rohrich, a plastic surgeon at the Dallas Institute of Plastic Surgery, is trying to find out which adolescent patients see themselves and which do so because of cultural or parental pressure. The purpose of this review is to analyze existing research on breast reconstruction with the objective of improving the understanding of regret by decision in the field of plastic surgery and to identify effective tools to reduce its incidence after aesthetic procedures. Despite concerns about safety and complications, only a small percentage of patients regret their decision to undergo plastic surgery.
