title: What's Preventing Us to Get More Attraction: The Fear of Aesthetic Surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nowadays, with the help of cosmetic surgery almost every woman and man can achieve a highly attractive appearance. The question is, why so many people do not take advantage of these opportunities? This pilot-study investigates individual attitudes of people towards aesthetic plastic surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was developed which combined self-developed items for a measurement of attitudes towards plastic surgery. In addition, items of the "Freiburger Personality Inventory" (FPI-R) were used. The study was conducted in Hamburg/Germany. 104One hundred and four test persons participated in the survey (81 females, 23 males, age 20-30 years). Eighty six of the participants (82.7%) had an A-level as degree of education, 14.4% achieved the secondary school certificate and 2.9% had completed their bachelor on a high school.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data supported the hypothesis that people who are unsatisfied with their body appearance showed more willingness for a surgical intervention. On the other hand, fear of complications and pain as far as anxiety before an unsatisfactory result hinders them from a decision for an intervention. Significant correlations with regard to extraversion-introversion and the education level were not found. Females showed more willingness regarding an intervention than men. Gender-specific differences concerning the cost factor were not found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interestingly more than 65% of the total sample felt dissatisfaction with a specific body part and are thus target of aesthetic surgery. The yellow press often reports about failed cosmetic surgery, especially in VIP-persons. Aesthetic surgery should keep working to reduce unwarranted fears of people toward these kinds of operations.
authors.affiliation: Medical School Hamburg, University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leitermann
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Dermatologie und Allergologie der Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropsychology, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Erich
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kasten
keywords: Aesthetic; Beauty; Cosmetic surgery; Fear; Operation; Plastic surgery