Dr Steven Harris discusses Body Dysmorphic Disorder in Aesthetic Medicine magazine.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD, sufferers are preoccupied with a physical ‘defect’ that appears normal or minimal to others. Affecting around 2% of the population (mostly women) people with BDD will often avoid social contact for fear of ridicule and humiliation. The result? Increasing isolation and even suicide.
Around three quarters of people with BDD will at some stage seek aesthetic treatments. An important part of our job as aesthetic practitioners is to recognise this relatively common, yet very serious mental disorder, and refer patients to the right help, quickly.