The Face of Trauma is Addicted to Plastic Surgery

Do you ever think about having plastic surgery? Today's guest, Dr. Mark Constantian, is a plastic surgeon and author, who gives us a lot to think about before going under the knife. His latest book is Childhood Abuse, Body Shame & Addictive Plastic surgery: The Face of Trauma. He was spurred on to research these issues by patients who had rhinoplasties ('nose jobs') and became distraught afterwards, despite their nose coming out perfectly. He ultimately found that childhood trauma and/or neglect can lead to Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a psychiatric diagnosis where a person has a distorted impression of what their body looks like and they obsess over real or imagined flaws. Ironically, we are talking about this on the anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, whose childhood traumas led to his addiction to rhinoplasties. Dr. Carole adds her Freudian analysis about the nose being a 'displacement upwards' of the penis, meaning: conflicts about one's sexuality are often focused on the nose.