What the study found
The study evaluated 90 plastic surgery patients at a private clinic in Lima, aged 20 to 50, using four validated instruments: the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Body Shape Questionnaire, and the EAT-26M eating-attitudes scale.
- 80% of plastic surgery patients were women, with a mean age of 32.4 years.
- No anxiety traits were identified in the sample.
- Only 3.3% showed traits of moderate depression, pathological body dissatisfaction and eating-disorder risk — meaning the great majority did not show these indicators.
The conclusion: evaluate before operating
The authors conclude that pre-surgical psychological evaluation is crucial: it identifies factors that predispose to mental-health problems and allows support to be offered when needed. In other words, a minority of patients benefit from additional support, and that minority is detected before surgery, not after.
Why this matters to a patient
Aesthetic surgery does not resolve underlying psychological distress. That the surgical team itself researches and applies this evaluation is a sign of integral safety: it distinguishes patients seeking an aesthetic change with realistic expectations from those who also need mental-health support. It is part of the same culture of rigor with which the technique's safety and its published evidence are documented.
Source: Manzaneda Cipriani RM, Coli Romero MF, Eyzaguirre J. "Depression, Anxiety, Body Dissatisfaction, and Eating Disorders in Plastic Surgery Patients". Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 2024;12:e5555. DOI 10.1097/GOX.0000000000005555. The study evaluated plastic surgery patients in general, not exclusively rib remodeling patients.