Abstract
Introduction
Studies have so far examined several psychosocial factors associated with an interest in aesthetic plastic surgery. Among them, gender, teasing history, marital status, education, social networks and body dysmorphic disorders are all predictors of interest in cosmetic surgery. Given the fact that professional status can influence health-related attitudes, our objective was firstly to identify if medical professionals are more likely to express interest in plastic surgery compared to non-medical professionals. Secondary, given the high rate of burn-out among physicians, the study examined the association between burn-out and interest in plastic surgery.
Materials and Methods
One hundred doctors and 100 non-medical professionals with a University degree completed a questionnaire regarding their interest in undergoing cosmetic plastic surgery, in particular minimally invasive procedures and 9 specific aesthetic operations. Additionally, doctors completed the standardized Maslach burn-out inventory. The sample consisted of 40.5% men and 59.5% women (mean age = 34 years).
Results
Data analysis using the Mann–Whitney test revealed that women and medical professionals were more likely to express interest in cosmetic plastic surgery (p < 0.001 and p = 0.035, respectively). Regarding the medical profession and interest in specific operations, there has not been found any association except for liposuction (p < 0.001). Results also showed a significant positive correlation between interest in cosmetic procedures and burn-out syndrome (r = 0.53 p < 0.001).
Conclusion
The original finding that doctors are prone to seek elective plastic surgery may be attributed to their familiarity with invasive procedures. The correlation between burn-out syndrome and interest in cosmetic surgery could reveal a way of coping with the work demands. Results of this study can be used for the development of clinical tools for the screening of patients for elective cosmetic surgery.
Level of Evidence V
This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brunton G, Paraskeva N, Caird J, Bird KS, Kavanagh J, Kwan I, Stansfield C, Rumsey N, Thomas J (2014) Psycholosocial predictors, assessment and outcomes of cosmetic procedures: a systematic rapid evidence assessment. Aesthet Plast Surg 38(5):1030–1040
Frederick DA, Lever J, Peplau LA (2007) Interest in cosmetic surgery and body image: views of women and men across the lifespan. Plast Reconstr Surg 120(5):1407–1415
Cook LS, Dailing JR, Voigt LF, deHart MP, Malone KE, Stanfort JL, Weiss NS, Gammon MD, Brogan D (1998) Characteristics of women with and without breast augmentation. JAMA 277(20):1612–1617
Javo JL, Sorlie T (2009) Psychosocial predictors of an interest in cosmetic surgery among young Norwegian women: a population-based study. Plast Reconstr Surg 124(6):2142–2148
Milothridis P, Pavlidis L, Haidich AB, Panagopoulou E (2016) A systematic review of the factors which precict interest in cosmetic plastic surgery. Ind J Plast Surg 49(3):397–402
Von Soest T, Kvalem I, Skolleborg KC, Roald HE (2006) Psychosocial factors predicting the motivation to undergo cosmetic surgery. Plastic Reconstr Surg 117(1):83–90
Sarwer DB, LaRossa D, Bartlett SP, Low DW, Bucky LP, Whitaker LA (2003) Body image concerns of breast augmentation patients. Plast Reconstr Surg 12(1):83–90
Golshani S, Mani A, Toubaei S, Farnia V, Sepehry AA, Alikhani M (2016) Personality and psychological aspects of cosmetic surgery. Aesthet Plast Surg 40(1):38–47
Malick F, Howard J, Koo J (2008) Understanding the psychology of the cosmetic patients. Dermatol Ther 21(1):47–53
Dunofsky M (1997) Psychological characteristics of women who undergo single and multiple cosmetic surgeries. Ann Plast Surg 39:223–238
Ishigooka J, Iwao M, Suzuki M, Fukuyama Y, Murasaki M, Miura S (1998) Demographic features of patients seeking cosmetic surgery. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 52(3):283–287
Baker RJ (1978) Patient selection and psychological evaluation. Clin Plast Surg 5:3–14
Napoleon A (1993) The presentation of personalities in plastic surgery. Ann Plast Surg 31:193–208
Sweis IE, Spitz J, Barry DR Jr, Cohen M (2017) A review of body dysmorphic disorder in aesthetic surgery patients and the legal implications. Aesthet Plast Surg 41(4):949–954
Maslach C, Leiter MP (2016) Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry 15(2):103–111
Schaufeli WB, Enzmann D (1998) The burnout companion to study and practice: a critical analysis. Taylor & Francis, London
Bakker AB, LeBlanc PM, Schaufelli WB (2005) Burnout contagion among intensive care nurses. J Adv Nurs 51:276–287
Gonzalez-Morales MG, Peiro JM, Rodriguez I, Bliese PD (2012) Perceived collective burnout: a multilevel explanation of burnout. Anxiety Stress Coping 25(1):43–61
Ahola K, Hakanen J (2014) Burnout and health. In: Leiter MP, Bakker AB, Maslach C (eds) Burnout at work: a psychological perspective. Psychology Press, London, pp 10–31
Qureshi HA, Rawlani R, Mioton LM, Dumanian GA, Kim JY, Rawlani V (2015) Burnout phenomenon in U.S. plastic surgeons: risk factors and impact on quality of life. Plast Reconstr Surg 135(2):619–626
Ahola K, Honkonen T, Isometsa E, Kalimo R, Nykyri E, Aromaa A, Lonnqvist J (2005) The relationship between job-related burnout and depressive disorders—results from the Finnish Health 2000 Study. J Affect Disord 88(1):55–62
Lieb R, Meinischmidt G, Araya R (2007) Epidemiology of the association between somatoform disorders and anxiety and depressive disorders: an update. Psychosom Med 69(9):860–863
Mufaddel A, Osman OT, Almugaddam F, Jafferany M (2013) A review of body dysmorphic disorder and its presentation in different clinical settings. Prim Care Companion CNS Disord 15(4):2–15
Maslach C, Jackson SE (1981) The measurement of experienced burnout. J Occup Behav 2:99–113
Maslach C, Jackson SE, Leiter MP (1996) Maslach burnout inventory manual, 3rd edn. Consulting Psychologists Press, Palo Alto
Anagnostopoulos F, Papadatou D (1992) Components analysis and internal validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory in a sample of Greek nurses. Psychol Aff 5:183–202 (in Greek)
Panagopoulou E, Montgomery A, Benos A (2006) Burnout in internal medicine physicians: differences between residents and specialists. Eur J Intern Med 17:195–200
Liakopoulos M, Panaretaki I, Papadakis V, Katsika A, Sarafidou J, Laskari H, Anagnostopoulos I, Vessalas G, Bouhoutsou D, Papaevangelou V, Polychronopoulou S, Haidas S (2008) Burnout, staff support, and coping in paediatric oncology. Support Care Cancer 16:143–150
Bratis D, Tselebis A, Sikaras C, Moulou A, Giotakis K, Zoumakis E, Ilias I (2009) Alexithymia and its association with burnout, depression and family support among Greek nursing staff. Hum Resour Health 11(7):72
Kumar S (2016) Burnout and doctors: prevalence, prevention and intervention. Healthcare (Basel) 4(3):30
WMA Declaration of Helsinki. Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/
Kosowski TR, McCarthy C, Pl Reavey (2009) A systematic review of patient-reported outcome measures after facial cosmetic surgery and/or nonsurgical facial rejuvenation. Plast Reconstr Surg 123(6):1819–1827
Lobelo F, Duperly J, Frank E (2009) Physical activity habits of doctors and medical students influence their counselling practices. Br J Sports Med 43(2):89–92
Alexandrova-Karamanova A, Todorova I, Montgomery A, Panagopoulou E, Costa P, Baban A, Davas A, Milosevic M, Mijakoski D (2016) Burnout and health behaviors in health professionals from seven European countries. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 89(7):1059–1075
Perez-Panzano E, Guemes-Sanchez A, Gascon-Catalan A (2016) Quality of life following symptomatic macromastia surgery: short- and long-term evaluation. Breast J 22(4):397–406
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Milothridis, P., Pavlidis, L. & Panagopoulou, E. Are Burnt-out Doctors Prone to Seek Cosmetic Surgery? A Cross-Sectional Study. Aesth Plast Surg 41, 1447–1453 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-017-0947-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-017-0947-3