Cutting edge training: upskilling health professionals in psychological care for patients undergoing appearance-altering procedures

The number of patients undergoing appearance-altering procedures is increasing, whether they do so as treatment for an existing condition or as an elected cosmetic procedure. Consequently, many patients experience difficulties in coming to terms with changes to their looks, or may have unrealistic expectations of the outcomes and impacts of the treatment. Despite clear evidence that psychological factors play a significant part in many aspects of cosmetic surgery, patients often have very limited or even non-existent access to psychological input as part of their treatment. Therefore, a European Union-funded consortium initiated a survey of 66 healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in the medical aesthetics sector from Bulgaria, Italy, Norway and Romania with the aim of ascertaining their views on the need to enhance psychosocial care, the need for appropriate training and the willingness of HCPs in this sector to undertake this training if available. The results show that there is a pressing need to develop high quality, evidence-based, relevant vocational educational training for those specialising in the care of patients undergoing appearance-related surgery and associated treatments.