The Importance of Your Emotional Health

Your mental and emotional health is of utmost importance.

Anyone who has a current, untreated psychological diagnosis is not a candidate
for plastic surgery. That doesn’t mean that if a person does have a diagnosis,
they cannot have surgery ever, but they should be being treated for the disorder
and they should discuss the idea of having plastic surgery at length with their
psychologist first. Make sure your psychologist is involved in the entire process of
the procedure—before, during, and after.

You may need a dosage adjustment of any medications, as well as counseling
through the different stages of recovery. The reason why this is so important is
that plastic surgery has been shown to magnify certain psychological ailments.
After surgery, people are more likely to feel scared and vulnerable. They can’t
move around as much. They’re stuck at home recovering. They’re in some
degree of pain, which can cause changes in the hormonal activity of your body
and brain. Having surgery releases stress hormones from the adrenal glands that
affect your mood and thinking.

All these drastic hormonal changes can be tough for anyone to deal with, but
they can be even harder on people with a psychiatric diagnosis. This means that
if you have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, or anxiety, and
it’s not under control when you have the procedure done, then you can have significant problems and worsening symptoms in the immediate post-operative period. Even if your disorder is under control, your symptoms may be magnified, which is why it’s important that your psychologist be involved every step of the way.

Learn more about the psychological impact of cosmetic surgery and how to be prepared for it by reading, “Making the Cut” available for purchase on Amazon.     

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