Psychological Characteristics and Aesthetic Concerns of Male Patients Seeking Primary Rhinoplasty / 대한이비인후과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The demand for rhinoplasty has been high for both men and women over the years; recently, however, it is rapidly increasing for men as their interest in aesthetics has heightened. This study investigated the psychological characteristics of male patients who underwent rhinoplasty through questionnaire-guided consultation. In addition, we investigated the difference between patients and surgeons regarding their aesthetic concerns for rhinoplasty. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Of the male patients who underwent rhinoplasty from January 2006 to December 2012, 124 patients who had completed the questionnaires were included. The questionnaire for rhinoplasty asked about the basic personality traits of patients, patients' complaints about their nose, reasons for receiving the operation and expectation for postoperative change. RESULTS: Patients responded most to the item, “I have high expectations for the surgery” for the question regarding personality characteristics, followed by the response, “I am concerned about my health.” Regarding questions about reasons for rhinoplasty, complaints about their dorsum were high; among these patients, they were most concerned about the appearance of the ‘crooked nose’ when viewed from the front. On the other hand, the concern for the ‘poorly defined nasal tip’ was not high, whereas it was defined as one of the problems mentioned by the surgeons. CONCLUSION: These results show differences regarding aesthetic concerns between the patients and the surgeon, especially regarding the nasal tip. It would be helpful for both patient and surgen to plan the surgery after careful consultation based on the questionnaire, accurate understanding of the patients' complaints and expectations to obtain satisfactory results for both.