People with a body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) suffer from excessive preoccupation and anxiety about an imagined or to others a negligible defect in their appearance. They cannot bear to look at themselves, feel ugly, are convinced that their nose, their physique and their skin are disfiguring. The more concerned they become about their appearance, the more their attention is drawn to the ostensible blemishes and reinforces the impression of their own unattractiveness. Those affected do not consider themselves to be ill, but are convinced that it is a real physical defect which forces them again and again to stand in front of the mirror. Such patients may consult a dermatologist, some even a plastic surgeon, in order to get closer to their ideal of beauty, which perforce remains unattainable for patients because of a distorted perception of their body.
Keywords: Beauty; Body image; Obsessive disorder; Screening.