According to the Australian paper, The Age, the cosmetic surgery boom has also been a boom time for psychiatric cases caused by what they claim to be botched plastic surgery, although the article focuses almost entirely on those with body image disorders who seek plastic surgery.
What's the difference between a botched surgery and dissatisfaction with one's cosmetic surgical history as a result of an image disorder? A botched surgery is more the fault of an unskilled or careless surgeon - though the patients of these surgeons may not be entirely without fault, as they might have failed to research their surgery properly. Patients with body image disorders have long been turned away by ethical plastic surgeons and referred to psychologist or psychiatrists. Ethical surgeons realize those with body dysmorphyia are unlikely to be pleased with the result of any cosmetic procedure as their disorder distorts their mental perception of their own features. This is why dangerously underweight women will often insist they are "fat", even when faced with striking evidence to the contrary.
Professor David Castle of St. Vincent Clinic in Australia speculates that some 15% of people visiting plastic surgeons have body dysmorphic disorders, and yet some surgeons operate on them anyway. This may be a disturbing sign of the times and plastic surgeons in Australia (and possibly around the world) may be dealing with the sluggish global economy by performing operations on patients with psychiatric disorders.
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