Personality Traits, Anxiety, and Self-esteem in Patients Seeking Cosmetic Surgery in Mexico City

Abstract

Background: There are reports on high psychological morbidity, mainly personality disorders, among people opting for cosmetic surgery. This study aims to describe the personality traits, level of self-esteem, and anxiety in women seeking cosmetic surgery with body contouring, such as liposculpture or lipoabdominoplasty with or without placement of breast implants. Methods: Subjects were 87 women between 18 and 60 years of age in Mexico City who went to a private clinic with the intention of undergoing cosmetic surgery with body contouring. A psychiatric interview was performed using three scales: the Salamanca questionnaire for screening for personality disorders, the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale. Results: The average age was 31 years, with 35% of participants having previously undergone body-contouring surgery. Regarding personality, the patients did not show a psychopathology level for diagnosing a personality disorder. Regarding anxiety, 92% of the patients showed an average level of anxiety. High level of selfesteem was exhibited by 81 participants (93.15%), and six participants (6.9%) exhibited average self-esteem. Notably, no participant exhibited low self-esteem. Conclusions: The level of psychopathology of the patients was lower than expected, the self-esteem was not affected prior to the surgical procedure, and the level of anxiety did not cause dysfunction.