Patients as young as 13 request for virtual gastric band

"It's a procedure where the patient is under hypnosis and has a virtual gastric band installed."

Patients who request plastic sur-gery procedures to alter their ap-pearances, may in fact believe that creating somewhat of an idealistic figure from the outside, will fix the issues they carry deeply inside, stressed a UAE psychologist.
Naser Al Riyami, psychologist and hypnotherapist at SKMC, said those who wish to have pro-cedures carried out, should first talk to a professional.
"I advice those who wish to go for drastic surgeries to first consult a psychotherapist, in order to make sure they will be completely satisfied with the results."
He pointed out that patients might become somewhat addicted to altering their appearances, which could thus result in consequential disasters. Although some plastic surgery procedures can help the person look and feel better, overdoing it could result in immense psychological effects on the individual.
"Once you are under the knife, there is no going back, and you don't want to come out with a botched face, looking worse than before."
Those who wish to lose weight but are too afraid to go under the knife can consult a psychologist and hypnotherapist for other alternatives, such as the virtual gastric band.
"It's a procedure where the patient is under hypnosis and has a virtual gastric band installed."
There will be a psychical sensation of a small stomach, therefore it will reduce one's appetite and help build healthy eating habits, as well as a healthier lifestyle. He noted that patients as young as 13 have requested the procedure, which helped them lose on average of one kilogram per week.
Doctor Fabian Blaschke, however, highlighted that there are psychological conditions that lead people to experiment too aggressively with their appearance, namely, the dysmorphia.
"This is an excessive fear of perceived physical flaws. The patient tends to go from one practitioner to another, in order to seek even more treatments of all sorts, whether it is injectables or operative changes."
Thus, the human psyche plays a crucial role in the overall appearance of each individual. "We often find that people seeking cosmetic treatments are confronted with problems that have nothing to do with their appearance."
"These can be job issues, or a family crisis. Therefore it requires experience to detect that and to advise the patient accordingly. This is particularly crucial in young patients, as they tend to react more impulsively."
Dr Blaschke pointed out that at the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
jasmine@khaleejtimes.com