Does Cosmetic Rhinoplasty Improve Self-Concept and Patient's Satisfaction with Nose Fitness? Testing the Differences Before and After Surgery with 3 To 6 Months Follow-Up

Despite the great number of cosmetic rhinoplasties, there are few studies on the improvement of self-concept and patient satisfaction with nose fitness.
This study attempted to examine the variability of self-concept and patient satisfaction with nose fitness before and after cosmetic rhinoplasty through three to six months of follow-up.
Under a pretest-posttest single-group design, a total of 100 women and men applying for cosmetic rhinoplasty at the academic clinics in Guilan were selected though convenience sampling. The participants’ age ranged from 17–47 years old and each of them responded to the Beck Self-Concept Test (BSCT) and Satisfaction Visual Analogue Scale (S-VAS) before and three to six months after the cosmetic surgery. The data were analyzed through the independent t-test and univariate analysis of covariance (UNIANCOVA) under a 2 × 2 factorial design, after controlling for the two variables of age and marital status.
The mean age of patients was 26.85±6.60 years. We found that the self-concept in patients post-surgery had not improved compared with pre-surgery (p>0.05). However, the patients’ satisfaction with nose fitness significantly increased after surgery (F=70.10, p0.05).
Although many rhinoplasty applicants were satisfied about the changes in their facial features, rhinoplasty seems to have failed to improve the patients’ self-concept, the implications of which are discussed.