Victims of bullying are more likely to want plastic surgery

Bullies and their victims are more likely to have plastic surgery later in life, according to new research.

A new study has revealed that school bullies are far more likely to go under the knife later in life because of their need for admiration. The research done by the University of Warwick found that 3.4 percent of bullies and 8.8 percent of teens who both bully and are bullied want to have cosmetic surgery, in comparison with the less than one percent of those who are neither bullies nor bullied. It also revealed that 11.5 percent of victims had a strong want for cosmetic surgery due to low self-esteem and a deep desire to change their bodies. In the US alone, over 15.9 million surgical procedures were performed between 2015 and 2016, and 230,000 of those were performed on teenagers. The research focused on a sample group of roughly 800 adolescents and analysed for emotional problems, lowered self-esteem and their level of desire to have cosmetic surgery. The results proved that victims of bullying are more likely to have cosmetic surgery later in life than those who were bullies or those who were not involved in bullying in any way. The results also highlighted that girls have a stronger desire to have surgery with 7.3 percent saying they would go under the knife in comparison to the two percent of boys who said the same.

"Being victimised by peers resulted in poor psychological functioning, which increased desire for cosmetic surgery,” said author of the research, Professor Wolke, of the results. “For bullies, cosmetic surgery may simply be another tactic to increase social status… to look good and achieve dominance. "The desire for cosmetic surgery in bullied adolescents is immediate and long-lasting. Our results suggest that cosmetic surgeons should screen candidates for psychological vulnerability and history of bullying.”