'I Want the Way I Look to Matter Less': A Case Study Describing Psychological Aspects of Changing Appearance

There is a need for a better understanding of psychological processes when appearance is changed dramatically through surgery. The aim of this article is to shed light on how complex the process of changing appearance can be, and highlight the importance of including a psychological perspective to the treatment offered to children and adolescents with a visible condition affecting appearance. In order to illustrate some psychological aspects involved in a change of appearance, the case study of a young woman born with a cleft palate is presented. Through orthognathic surgery, an operation that changes the relationship and position of the upper and lower jaw, this young woman experienced a dramatic change in appearance. As a result of a new attractive appearance, she experienced new and different social interactions, which challenged her in surprising ways. Unexpectedly, an unknown past of childhood sexual abuse was triggered by romantic experiences due to her new appearance, and she developed signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. This article presents central themes from the therapy and clinical interventions, which were mainly based on a solution-oriented and cognitive framework, and considers how the change of appearance affected the way this young woman behaved, felt and thought about herself after the surgery. Clinical implications of the case are discussed and their relevance to another research field - dramatic weight loss among those suffering from obesity - is suggested.