REVIEW   

Minerva Psichiatrica 2019 December;60(4):180-90

DOI: 10.23736/S0391-1772.19.02035-1

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Motivation and expectations of aesthetic patients

Barbara PAOLI ¹ ✉, Michele PROCACCI ²

¹ Psicoterapia Cognitiva, Rome, Italy; ² Terzo Centro di Psicoterapia, Rome, Italy

The popularity of aesthetic treatments has increased exponentially over the past two decades, due to the establishment of a link between physical appearance and the perception of wellbeing. Neurobiologists and evolutionary psychologists have pointed out that many aesthetic treatments aim at improving and rejuvenating physical appearance, or at improving facial symmetry, both advantageous characteristics for physical beauty and reproductive attractiveness. In addition, over the last forty years, social psychology has demonstrated that physically more attractive individuals are judged more positively than less attractive ones. Moreover, attractive individuals have better chances of a satisfying relational life or a better job. Meanwhile, the media have influenced consumers with the image of perfect bodies of models or actresses, often associating them with the use of aesthetic treatments. The aesthetic medicine with new medical technologies offers a variety of safe treatments to enhance body appearance and contribute to the image of beauty and health of the individual. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of how both how the aesthetic and psychological changes could be beneficial to the wellbeing of an individual, investigating the motivations for appearance changes and, therefore, to the aesthetic treatments. A definition of personal expectations is proposed here towards understanding the needs of the individual and how both physical and psychological wellbeing may benefit from aesthetic treatments.

KEY WORDS: Esthetics; Cognitive behavioral therapy; Motivation