Eating Disorders and Plastic Surgery
Written by Annie Massey
Ava is a 19-year-old girl who has a recent history of struggling with anorexia. Last year, she went to treatment and was declared recovered, and she is currently at a healthy weight. She still lives with her mother, who played a major role in her recovery and is aware of her current mental status.
Ava and her mother come into a privately owned medical practice for a plastic surgery consultation. Ava wants to get liposuction. However, her mother is opposed to the idea, as she believes that this is Ava’s body dysmorphia manifesting itself in another form.
Based on a study from The International Open Access Journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, bad body image can often lead to eating disorders. However, receiving liposuction often increases a person’s body confidence and decreases the chances of developing an eating disorder. Ava argues that, like this study, she will be much more comfortable in her body if she receives liposuction, and her chances of regressing into old tendencies will decrease as well.
Because Ava is no longer a minor, her mother does not have the power to make her decisions as long as Ava is of sound mind. It is now up to the physician to determine whether or not he is willing to perform the surgery.
Questions:
What other factors should this physician take into account for deciding whether or not to perform this surgery?
Should physicians require psychological evaluations before agreeing to perform cosmetic surgeries on patients?
To what extent should the presence of mental disorders affect the decisions of physicians to perform unnecessary medical procedures?
Works Cited
Saariniemi, K. M. M., Salmi, A. M., Peltoniemi, H. H., Charpentier, P., & Kuokkanen, H. O. M. (2015, August 10). Does liposuction improve body image and symptoms of eating disorders? Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open. Retrieved November 16, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4527635/.
Nabilabila2814. (2020, April 3). Woman with ideal bodies looking herself in the mirror and feel insecure and fat human character illustration stock vector - illustration of concept, female: 177767081. Dreamstime. Retrieved February 7, 2022, from https://www.dreamstime.com/woman-ideal-bodies-looking-herself-mirror-feel-insecure-fat-cartoon-hand-drawn-style-flat-vector-design-human-image177767081
