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Does cosmetic surgery lead to sexual satisfaction?
Questions are constantly being raised about why women undergo as many types of invasive
plastic surgery as they do. Research has determined the answers as being anything from
slowing the aging process down to creating a whole new persona. What has been an underlying
reason, is body image satisfaction - something that is very important, as well as sexual
satisfaction - these two concepts play hand in hand.
Psychologists have always understood the link between emotional happiness and the ability
to function on a creative and productive level in the world. With cosmetic surgery
candidates getting younger and younger, questions have been posed as to their emotional
maturity and their level of perceived happiness. A study has been done to really breakdown
this question - how deep are the levels of satisfaction post surgery? We know women are
satisfied, but with that satisfaction, how does it translate to other areas of their lives?
Women who undergo common elective cosmetic procedures not only feel better about their
bodies, but also have been shown to have a higher degree of sexual satisfaction, including
the ability to orgasm. Women in one specific study who had undergone aesthetic procedures
were said to be more sexually satisfied. Their partners were said to be more sexually
satisfied due in part to being dressed to enhance their new figures and were more confident
to engage in more and different sexual activities after recovery. The most drastic benefits
were seen in women who had undergone breast augmentation/breast lift and/or body contouring
procedures. This research study was published in the January/February 2006 issue of Aesthetic
Surgery Journal, a peer-reviewed publication of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery (ASAPS).
Dr. David Sarwer, Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania School
of Medicine stated, "This data is particularly interesting because several studies have
suggested that women are not motivated to undergo aesthetic surgery to improve their sex
lives. It appears that the improvements in sexual response are an unexpected benefit".
The theory of sexual satisfaction was not as high with women who only underwent surgeries
for facial procedures. Although women who had undergone rhinoplasty, face lifts, skin
surface rejuvenation, and blepharoplasty reported a high degree of satisfaction and an
increased level of body image confidence, sexual satisfaction was not significantly
noticed. The study suggests that women who were involved in breast augmentations, body
contouring, and liposuction had a higher degree, and more pronounced psychosexual
response. The physical modifications did not just have psychosexual ramifications for
themselves, but were very noticeable in their partners as well. The far reaching effects
of plastic/ cosmetic surgery suggested in the study were not just physical, but emotional
and had significant results in their everyday relationships as well.
"This study is important because we were able to objectively measure a significant quality of
life benefit after cosmetic surgery." chief of plastic surgery at Mercy Hospital in
Pittsburgh, PA, Guy Stofman, MD, and lead author of the study recalled.
"Patients in the study showed an unexpected, but important benefit: increased satisfaction
with their sex lives after plastic surgery," said Dr. Stofman. "The benefits of cosmetic
plastic surgery appear to go beyond enabling patients to feel better about their physical
appearance," commented Mark Jewell, MD, President of ASAPS, which publishes Aesthetic
Surgery Journal. "It also extends to her most intimate and personal moments. These new
data in a peer-reviewed scientific publication will add a lot to how we measure the outcomes
of cosmetic procedures.
It was shown that more than 95% of the women surveyed reported significant improvement
in body image, regardless of the type of surgery they had. The perceived increase in
sexual interest was reported by 73% of breast augmentation patients and 56% of body
contouring patients. It is remarkable that 31% of breast surgery and 52% of the body
contouring patients accounted for documented that they could achieve orgasm more easily
after the procedure.
A direct link has been established between emotional happiness and the ability to heal
oneself of illness, whether it is an emotional manifestation or physical one. Relationships
are a direct effect of happiness, and when people are happy, they are productive and
effective in their lives, so it's fair to ask, if it makes you feel better about yourself,
why not do it? It seems that when these women did it, it really did have an impact on their
lives, not just physical but a long lasting emotional one as well.
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