If you are reading this article and are considering having a cosmetic procedure done, then most likely you have either seen or heard about someone who experience bad plastic surgery results. Possibly you were bored and surfed the celebrity tabloid websites, where you came upon bad plastic surgery pictures that were, for lack of a better word, just scary.

bad plastic surgeryIt is entirely natural, you know. There is a part of us, deep down inside, that cannot help but stare in horror at the disturbing effect that cosmetic surgery can inflict on human appearance.

Take, for example, Jocelyn Wildenstein. One only has to look at pictures of her through the years to truly see plastic surgery gone wrong. Have you seen Kenny Rogers lately? The man obviously counted his cards at the table – his overly done face lift gives a permanently surprised look on his face.

It is entirely possible that you are considering getting a breast augmentation, and maybe you had an acquaintance that experienced the horror of bad breast implants that is making you want to reconsider. From bizarre dents in breast skin to burst silicone or saline implants, the pictures and the stories you have heard understandably give you pause to consider surgically correcting your problem.

The question is, how worried do you need to be and how prevalent are these “plastic surgery gone bad” scenarios?

The Truth

The truth is that in real life, away from the celebrity lime light, these scenarios are much less prevalent than the media would lead you to believe. If you do your research and select a qualified, experienced plastic surgeon who gets it done right the first time, if you have reasonable goals that tasteful and proportionate, there is no reason why your plastic surgery experience should not be successful and satisfactory and that you shouldn’t benefit for years from any cosmetic surgery that you have done.

There is one condition to be aware of – it is called body dysmorphic disorder, and is a clinically characterized mental disease. Body dysmorphic disorder is an obsession with a facial or body trait, and is over exaggerated self-criticism that can kill your self esteem stone dead.

Research shows that 12% of all patients seeking plastic surgery have this disorder. It affects about 1 in 50 people. Usually, it is these patients that seek repeat procedures on the same body part because they are never satisfied with the results.

The celebrity monsters you see in the tabloids often have this disorder, and have had procedure after procedure on the same feature – giving the distorted “plastic surgery gone bad” photos that the paparazzi love to display.

Follow-up surgeries are a reasonable need. Non-invasive procedures, such as peels, need to be repeated to maintain effects. Plastic surgery procedures sometimes need touch-ups to maintain the improvement. Your plastic surgeon should wisely advise on the need for touchups. In addition, your plastic surgeon should spend ample time with you during your initial consult to determine if you have any red-flag personality indicators for body dysmorphic disorder.