A Comparison of Personality Pattern and General Health Condition between Individuals Seeking Cosmetic Nose Surgery and Those of the Control Group

Ten thousand people undergo cosmetic surgery of their bodies or faces to making themselves more beautiful each year. The primary aim of such surgeries is to increase the individual's self-esteem and satisfaction due to their new look, which can be a special psychological pattern. The aim in this study is to compare the personality pattern and general health condition of the cosmetic surgery volunteers and the control group.

This was a descriptive study, performed in Zarre Hospital in Iran in 2007. There were 50 subject the experimental group (volunteers for rhinoplasty) and the control group were their family members who matched them in age, gender and educational level but did not intend to undergo rhinoplasty. "NEO-five factor inventory" (NEO-FFI) was used for personality inventory and "General Heath questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used to assess general health status, and the economical status was evaluated through Delphi questionnaire. Data were analyzed with standard t-test and chi-square test.

There were greater openness and extraversion trait but lower neuroticism and agreeableness trait in group the experimental compared to the control group. There were significant differences concerning inventory between the experimental and control groups (P= 0.011). General health condition greater in the experimental group than the control group. However, there were also no differences of economical status between was and control groups.

This study indicated the experimental that high obsession trait and low self-esteem were detected in cosmetic surgery volunteers indeed imbalance in other personality traits were also observed. Therefore, it is more recommend able for the patient to consult a psychiatrist before undergoing cosmetic surgery.