Cosmetic surgery as an antecedent of life change.

Of 42 patients who underwent cosmetic surgery, 4 patients, who gave no indication of an impending life change before surgery, obtained a legal separation or divorce 3-6 months later. These 4 patients had had strong parental domination and hostile relationships with younger siblings; they had a need for success on their own terms and for the rapid closure of potential conflict. The authors suggest that such patients are undergoing significant identity changes that become conscious only after cosmetic surgery, which tests out their shift from passivity and withdrawal to activity and participation.