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Women determine a physical imperfection and think that they can alleviate their feelings of dissatisfaction by removing the imperfection. After changing that part of their body or face some women are satisfied but often expectations are not met. At a certain point they will notice another imperfection and this process will continue. Addiction sets in when they are stuck in this vicious cycle.
We can speak of 3 groups of women that have plastic surgery:
1. The first group that has average to good self esteem. They have plastic surgery and are happy with the results. There is nothing wrong with this.
2. The second group has low self esteem and thinks that cosmetic surgery will give her more confidence and will make her happier, more content. Happiness is an internal experience that cannot be realised by an external factor such as cosmetic surgery. However, you can be more content with your looks after surgery, resulting in more confidence and happiness. | |
This is only the case in the 1st group of women. With this 2nd group this does not happen. They lack self worth. After some time, they will, once again, be faced with feelings of emptiness and dissatisfaction. They will seek out another way to feel better. This behaviour is typical for an addict. They get stuck in a vicious cycle of addiction, getting detached from their authentic self and ultimate goal: satisfaction and happiness. We believe this goal can only be reached by integrating the external and internal. Balance between body and mind. |
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3. The third group has totally lost control and do not have a realistic image of themselves and suffer from BDD (Body Dimorphic Disorder) or imagined ugliness. They need another treatment, namely medication and psychotherapy or counselling. |
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Denial plays a major role with this addiction. Denial stemming from ignorance or to protect one self from reality. The reality that you have low self esteem, and that you are confronted with needing to deal with the issues on the inside.
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Women that are affected by these issues believe that by enhancing their body by way of surgery or otherwise they will be happier: jobs, success, love, sex, a younger appearance will come their way. One of the causes of this illusion is the media that enforces certain beauty standards. These media outings send the message that beauty and youth are linked to competitiveness, success, love, sex and thus satisfaction and happiness. |
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What connects people with an alcohol/drug addiction, sex addiction, eating disorder and addiction to cosmetic surgery and body dismorphic disorder? a great lack of faith in their own possibilities. They are constantly doubting themselves. ‘am I not good enough?’ and/or ‘ am I able to do this?’ are questions they constantly ask themselves. |
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This low self-esteem cannot be fixed externally (with cosmetic enhancements or surgery). To achieve a real sense of satisfaction and happiness you will have to work on internal issues. |
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| On the one hand the cause can be found in our culture and society that we have created and which consequences we now experience. Outward appearances have become too important. On the other hand the cause can be found in our past, in our childhoods in which our emotional needs were not met. Because of this there is no basis for a healthy sense of self esteem. |
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| Each situation has to be analysed carefully and a fitting solution has to be found for each person. Sometimes this might result in cosmetic surgery, sometimes in counselling, sometimes in medication or in a combination of these. In many cosmetic surgery clinics nothing is done to check the emotional wellbeing of the clients. They are encouraged to have work done on their face or body, without looking at the underlying emotional issues. |
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| The addiction to cosmetic surgery is a new phenomenon that is too new to be extensively documented, however, experts agree that there are many people who suffer from it and that they cannot help themselves. Just as one drink is not enough for the alcoholic, for the cosmetic surgery addict it is very difficult to break the cycle once they have started. |
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