A randomized, prospective, controlled study was carried out at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Unit of the University of Pavia, Salvatore Maugeri Research and Care Institute, Pavia, Italy, to evaluate the psychological benefits from corrective medical camouflage (CMC) following surgical treatment for skin cancer of the face. Twenty-four female patients, following recovery from facial skin cancer surgery, were enrolled in the study over a period of 1 year. The study was performed using two health-related quality of life tests, the Satisfaction Profile (SAT-P) test and the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT). The patients were randomized into two groups: group A, patients undergoing CMC; and group B, controls. Both the SAT-P and BUT demonstrated statistically significant better results in the treated patients versus the controls in the following functional parameters: Psychological Functionality (PsF), Physical Functionality (PhF), and Work Performance (WP) for the SAT-P test and Compulsive Self-Monitoring (CSM) for the BUT. The PsF demonstrated a better result 6 months post-treatment. Such a difference was particularly significant when comparing the performance at 6 months versus that at 3 months. The PhF demonstrated a better outcome at 6 months post-treatment. The WP demonstrated a better result comparing the performance at 6 months versus that at 3 months. The CSM demonstrated a better outcome at 6 months post-treatment. The CMC promoted a significant improvement in patients' physical appearance and in their self-image and perceived social role as a means of their desire to disguise their body disfiguration.
Keywords: camouflage; plastic surgery; psychological assessment; quality of life; skin cancer.