In a cyber world such as ours, we often spend a huge amount of time worrying about our appearance and comparing our flaws to strangers who we see to be as ‘perfect’.
But who can blame us? Studies show that modern society has impacted our mental health in completely new ways, birthing conditions that many industry professionals are learning how to tackle and approach on a daily basis.
A condition we see occasionally at DrMediSpa is Body Dysmorphia. This is a mental health condition that effects a huge number of people, causing a person to become preoccupied with imagined flaws in their appearance, disrupting daily living.
It is no secret that with the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions, and being reframed at home, worsen anxiety and stress for some. However, pairing that with the new virtual working world, we certainly have a problem on our hands! We find ourselves stuck at home with all but social media and mirrors to entertain ourselves, scrolling and refreshing our social media feeds or even a zoom/video call where we see an unflattering thumbnail of our own face. These are all issues that many of us are beginning to face and as a leading cosmetic surgeon, it is incredibly important that I too recognise this in my patients and continue to provide support and guidance.
Many patients come to me for a variety of issues, a confidence boost or to fix medical conditions that are affecting their day-to-day lives. However, a person that suffers from BDD seeks to fix something that they feel is wrong and because this is a mental health condition, there will always be an aspect of themselves that they believe needs to be improved on.
At DrMediSpa it is our duty to work ethically and to make decisions with our patients’ best interest at heart. It is protocol that we insist on always having a consultation to discuss any concerns and reasonings as to why a patient would like a particular treatment and to go forward with this in mind. We never turn away a patient if we feel that BDD is affecting their judgement. It is our job to ensure that a possible diagnosis is made and that the patient is aware that certain treatment may be unnecessary. Unfortunately, there are many clinics that choose to ignore patients that suffer from BDD and do not take their mental health and the knock-on effects into consideration, knowing that this will put their health at risk in the future.
If you are interested in cosmetic surgery and want to book an in-depth consultation with me then get in contact with us:
Tel: 020 8418 0362
Email: hello@drmedispa.com
