‘I can’t stop thinking I’m ugly’

People with ‘appearance guilt’ always feel that their face and body are defective. They repeatedly get plastic surgery but are not satisfied, leading to a cutlery addiction.
Two years ago, when he was a university student in Chengdu (China), Miao suddenly felt very dissatisfied with her face.

“At first I felt my eyes were small, not deep and bright enough, then I wanted my nose to be taller, the nose to shrink, I wanted my lips to be a little thinner, and felt uncomfortable with my chin not pointed enough. I feel my skin is loose and I want to improve it with laser treatment. I can’t stop thinking I’m ugly, “Miao said. The Red News . Just entering university, her work is heavy, but every day Miao looks in the mirror, takes selfies and takes videos to see her face for hours. She even skipped class at times just to look in the mirror. Not only that, she constantly searches for images and information about “defects” and “perfect beauty” of the human body, listing unsatisfactory details on her body such as eyes, nose, chin. , the distance between the chin and the neck. Although she has no physical defects, Miao cannot help but obsess that she is not beautiful enough. Miao used a ruler to measure the facial contours of her face and found a solution to edit it online. She consulted with several famous cosmetic hospitals in China, talking to a group of strangers about plastic surgery. She found all the ways to perform surgery, but she was worried because she was still a student, unable to afford hospital fees. Finally she asked her parents for money. Initially, Miao repeatedly asked for eyelid surgery. Because it was a quick surgery, it did not take time and had little impact on school, so her parents agreed. But after having double eyelids, she still feels unwell because the ratio between her eyes and nose is not right. Miao continued to ask for money for eye and nose surgery. In response to requests for continuous surgery from her daughter, Miao’s parents told her to postpone and think carefully after the exam, but she insisted on going and did not care about school. Her parents gradually realized the instability as her daughter fell into a love of cutlery. Can’t stop thinking I’m unstable Yan Guojian, a psychotherapist at the No. 4 People’s Hospital in Chengdu, said that Miao was addicted to plastic surgery not because of her ugly appearance, but she had a mental illness called “appearance guilt. “also known as” impaired body disorder “(BDD). At present, the cause and physiological mechanism of the disease are not fully understood. Many psychologists believe that it can be caused by many factors, such as being ridiculed or overused in childhood. Yan Guojian believes that Miao suffers from a very typical form barrier. According to Yan, “physical inferiority complex” (BDD) is a form of obsessive compulsion, implying a flawless appearance or only minor defects, but patients always exaggerate those points and feel that they are someone who is extremely ugly or disgusting that attracts the attention of others. People with “defective body disorder” tend to be addicted to plastic surgery. In Miao’s case, her looks are flawless, but she always thinks she’s not pretty enough and mentally depressed. When sharing with her parents or friends, they did not understand her psychological problem, so they only commented objectively that she looked good. When she points out a point of dissatisfaction on her body and asks if they feel it, if the other party says “yes”, Miao will suffer, but if they say “no”, she thinks they are lying. She was trapped in feelings of pessimism, pain, and even suicidal thoughts. Yan Guojian said that according to available foreign epidemiological data, the incidence of BDD (Body dysmorphic disorder) in the general population is 0.7% to 2.4%. In special population groups, such as dermatology and cosmetic surgery patients, the incidence of BDD is higher, reaching from 3.2% to 53.6%. In cases of mild defect, surgery has improved them, but the healing effect is generally not good. Many patients remain dissatisfied after surgery, or undergoing symptoms of substitution, altering their focus on the body, leading to the emergence of new defects and continued modification. As a result, the patient is increasingly disgusted with his appearance. Most illnesses begin in the teenage years and persist, often becoming chronic with improper treatment. BDD is often accompanied by disorders of depression and anxiety. “It is important to note that such patients have a high risk of suicide, especially when accompanied by depressive symptoms. Patients have difficulty controlling themselves and have to look into mirrors, over-modulate, ask others many times, and ask friends or family members to evaluate their appearance to get the assurance that the points on their body are ‘normal'”.