[00:00:00] We’ve all heard stories about people that go in for 1 cosmetic procedure and then get hooked on having more. Well, a new study by the plastic and reconstructive surgery shows there could be a medical reason for this. It reports that a third of patients that get work to their [00:00:15] nose, have moderate symptoms of something called body dysmorphic disorder. So here to tell us more about this procedure and bdd is plastic surgeon dr. Anthony you and dr. You and thanks for being with us today.

Thanks Dan. [00:00:30] Okay so it can you explain then what body dysmorphic disorder is? Yeah by dysmorphic disorder or b d which is the same thing is a psychiatric condition. That’s approximately one to two percent of the population has where [00:00:45] they look in the mirror where a person with this looks in the mirror and they see something different than what everybody else sees. And so somebody would be TD may look in the mirror and if they have a little bump on their nose to them, that bump looks the size of Mount Rushmore. Whereas also it looks like [00:01:00] a little bump, but now it happens is people with no continue please. So what happens is people with bdd and up undergoing, plastic surgery as a way to try to treat a problem that was never really there in the first place. And these types [00:01:15] of patients, can often get addicted to plastic surgery because they’re never happy. Alright, so why then does it start with an imperfection or perceived imperfection with the nose and leads to other procedures?

Well, nobody really knows [00:01:30] why. But the nose for some reason, is the Catalyst for plastic surgery and a lot of these patients. So, this study looked at patients, who came in to a certain office who are thinking about either rhinoplasty, which are nose jobs, or some other type of ear nose, so problem, [00:01:45] and a very high percentage. One, third of those who came in four, nose jobs, I had bdd basically and why it’s centered around the nose versus other parts of the face like the chin or you know the tummy of the breast we don’t really know. But that is something I’ve seen in my own practice [00:02:00] to so it definitely translates then beyond work on. There’s the face it where it goes to the entire body it does. And so you know in Hollywood you can spot a lot of these types of bdd patients. Once again, the nose, being the Catalyst, and that’s whenever I see [00:02:15] patients in my office for rhinoplasty for a nose job surgery, that’s always foremost, my mind much more so than other parts of the body. But you’ll end up seeing these Beady patients who’ve had surgeries by multiple doctors on multiple body parts and the big sign is that they’re never [00:02:30] happy number one and number two, they’re perceived imperfections are much much worse. They believe that. Everybody else can see. Have you ever had to talk someone out of surgery because you think that they might have bdd? [00:02:46] Yeah and it’s very difficult because as plastic surgeons you know we estimate to percent of population has bdd but our patient population is probably more closer to 10% and if you look in Hollywood that’s probably even higher.

And so it’s very common that we see [00:03:01] them come into our office. And the key is a plastic surgeon is trying to spot it. And the thing is when you do spot at the prom with bdd is BT patients, they don’t think they have a problem, you know, they’ve see this with their own eyes just like you or I may see the color red [00:03:16] for them. It is a major problem you know cosmetically that really doesn’t exist and so it’s very difficult to convince people who have bdd that, they actually have it in plastic surgery is not a solution for them and if someone does have it and they do get Rhinoplasty, [00:03:31] do they ever want to go back and and have rhinoplasty done again?

Yes, and that’s the main problem. This patients with bdd undergo typically multiple plastic surgeries in these misguided attempts to correct an imperfection. [00:03:46] It was never there in the first place and because the imperfections never there, they’re never happy and what they end up having, you know what, at the end up undergoing, a lot of times is this downward spiral of surgery after surgery after surgery and you, and I have seen these celebrities in Hollywood who [00:04:01] may have that where the nose just gets whittled down smaller and smaller and smaller until there’s almost in their left. Yeah, you’re absolutely right. And I think a lot of people probably look at celebrities look at Hollywood as their cue for how to live their own life and how to model their own [00:04:16] appearance after. Is there anything? Then if someone does feel that they’re suffering from bdd or they know someone anything they can do to either curb the effects of it or stop it altogether. The real solution to be TD is insight. And what inside basically is, is knowing [00:04:31] that you have the problem and that’s the greatest challenge with bdd patients.

You know, for me it’s difficult as a plastic surgeon for you to tell somebody, look, this problem doesn’t exist. It’s a figment of your imagination. They don’t tend to believe that because they see it with their own eyes. [00:04:46] So the best thing is to try to convince them. See a therapist, see a psychiatrist, you’re a plastic. Surgeon is not what you need. You need a shrink. Unfortunately these patients sometimes get upset when you tell them you don’t need a plastic surgeon you need to see a shrink think long and hard before [00:05:01] you go under the knife, the bottom line, doctor you and thanks so much for being with us today.

Day. Now, for more information on this topic and others you can log onto the Health page at abcnews.com