From the knife to the Bed - Better Sex from Plastic Surgery

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There are many reasons why one may elect to put themselves through the physical and financial pain that comes from aesthetic plastic surgery. To increase self-confidence, to feel better in one's own body are just two that are commonly sited. A better sex life may also be one of these reasons, but is there any evidence out there to suggest this to be true?

This is precisely the question Stofman et al set out to investigate. Stofman, the Chief of Plastic Surgery at The Mercy Hospital of Pttsburgh, sent out an anonymous survey to 330 male and female patients who had some kind of major aesthetic surgery. The sample group was limited to those who had breast augmentation, facial aesthetic surgery, or body contouring procedures.

The response was not exactly overwhelming with only 70 of the 330 surveys being returned; however, of those returned 95% overall reported an improvement in self-body image. Based on the evidence presented, it appears that if you want the biggest increase in sexual satisfaction, a breast augmentation is the way to go. Those who underwent breast augmentation showed the greatest increases in sexual satisfaction (with 80% of breast augmentation respondents stating an increase in sexual satisfaction) and partner satisfaction (with 73% of breast augmentation respondents stating an increase in partner sexual satisfaction). Those who received body contouring showed comparable but somewhat lower increases in sexual satisfaction (68%) and partner satisfaction (55%). Finally, those who underwent facial surgery saw the lowest increases in sexual satisfaction (32%) and partner satisfaction (22%). Yet if your goal is to achieve orgasm, you may be better off with an abdominal work rather than breast implants. 33% of breast enhancement patients reported an increase in the frequency to achieve the big-O, compared to a whopping 53% of those who had body contouring done. Other changes studied include body image, dress, frequency of sex, and willingness to try new sexual positions.

Although the study does present an interesting question, deficiencies in the way it was conducted limit its validity when applied to a more general population of aesthetic surgery patients. Firstly, the sample size was very small with only 70 of 330 respondents returning their questionnaires. It could certainly be argued that those that chose to return their surveys about their post-op sexual experiences were simply more likely to be those that had positive experiences to report. Secondly, all patients were operated on by only one doctor - the very same doctor conducting the study. Putting conflict of interest issues aside, the very fact that it was only one doctor severely limits any conclusions that can be made about patient outcomes operated on by other surgeons. For all we know, the surgeon could have been especially skilled at his trade and is more likely to have satisfied patients. Finally, the study does not investigate a patient's psychosexual state at different times after surgery. Sure, one may be happy with the results, a few months or years after surgery, but how long can they expect that satisfaction to last? Certainly more investigation is required.

The results of the study are not certainly not surprising. Most people can reasonably predict that having plastic surgery done successfully would increase one's sex life. That's the whole point isn't it? So if increasing the quality of your sex life is one of your reasons for getting plastic surgery, you now have a scientific study to back you up (although not exactly the most rigorous study).

Reference:

Guy M. Stofman, MD; Timothy S. Neavin, MD; Praful M. Ramineni, MD; and Aaron Alford, MD, "Better Sex From the Knife? An Intimate Look at the Effects of Cosmetic Surgery on Sexual Practices", Aesthetic Surgery Journal, Volume 26, Issue 1, Pages 12-17