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

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 self-esteem 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.