A prospective study of the psychological effects of rhinoplasty

Fifty-three consecutive patients referred for rhinoplasty within the National Health Service by their General Practitioner were evaluated prospectively to determine the psychological impact of this procedure. The patients were independently assessed before surgery, and then 1 week and 4 months after the surgery using the Derogatis Stress Profile, a Self-Esteem Inventory, an Introspectiveness Inventory and a range of questions relating to their expectations of the surgery. Photographs were taken at their initial visit and at 4 months after surgery. These were rated at random order by 28 independent lay people. Pre-operatively, the surgeon also documented his objectives and later assessed how well he had achieved them. Surgical intervention had strong effects in improving self-esteem ratings. These effects became more marked from the first post-operative assessment to those at four months making it likely that this is a real effect of surgery.