Volume 23, Issue 91 (2-2024)
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Hosseini S, Afrasiabi H. (2024). Market-Seeking in Cosmetic Surgery: Women's Lived Experiences in Beauty Clinics. refahj. 23(91), : 8 doi:10.32598/refahj.23.91.212.5
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-4144-en.html
URL: http://refahj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-4144-en.html
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Introduction: Having a beautiful body, based on suitable or ideal traits and characteristics, is a social criterion (Campana, Ferreira & Tavares, 2012: 109). Trying to look beautiful, well-groomed and attractive is also a social behavior that can be seen in every period of history (Agcadağ, 2017: 159). But nowadays, beauty it has become a new challenge and its features are drawn and promoted by technology owners and cosmetic surgeons and some people appear to do all kinds of surgeries to adapt themselves to these characteristics. The main customers of these surgeries are women (Campana, Ferreira and Tavares, 2012: 109) who make up about 90% of the applicants (Wu, Alleva & Mulkens, 2020: 244) And there is a stronger gender bias (92%) in favor of cosmetic surgery on women (Okumuş, 2020: 468). The non-therapeutic and marketability of cosmetic surgery make technology owners and surgeons develop search methods and attract beauty seekers, that is, it leads them to continuous market seeking of these surgeries. "Market-seeking in the cosmetic surgery" refers to the set of activities that are generally carried out by cosmetic surgeons in social media (medical websites and social networks pages, etc.), and in medical clinics and other spaces to strengthen the surgery market and may be embedded in the community. This is a kind of strategy in which cosmetic surgeons invest in the aforementioned different spaces and try to create opportunities for the economic prosperity of their profession. Under this concept, cosmetic surgeons are market seekers of cosmetic surgery and the patient-customer are beauty seekers. Some negative consequences of cosmetic surgery and the gap between the mental image and the objective results of surgery, may be the result of extensive and uncontrolled market-Seeking. This situation can create a strong desire for surgery and unrealistic expectations of the surgical result (Veale, 2006: 93 thus causing psychosocial disorders (Ercolani et al., 1999: 283; Newell & Lecturer, 2000: 386; Jones et al., 2020: 2111; Wu, Alleva & Mulkens, 2020: 244). Therefore, the biggest challenge and issue of cosmetic surgery that must be overcome knowing the market-seeking angles of these surgeries is to control its risky consequences. The problem is, how is the market-seeking of cosmetic surgery reflected in the experience of the surgery patients? This study was carried out with the aim of discovering the market-seeking angles of cosmetic surgery based on its reflection in the lived experiences of those who underwent surgery. Among the different perspectives, the major focus was on Max Weber's theory of ethics and aspects of Paulo Freire's critical theory of social awareness.
Method: This is a transcendental phenomenological qualitative research with Moustakas model. The participants in the study are 11 women with cosmetic surgery experience in Zanjan city. The criterion for participating in the interview were, undergoing at least one cosmetic surgery (only for cosmetic reasons, not due to disfigurement or dysfunction) and a reconstructive surgery in a part of the body at most 12 months before the interview (not just by one surgeon), and willingness and informed consent to participate in the interview. Purposeful sampling was used to select the participants and to determine the number of participants. The data was collected at a suitable time and environment, through face-to-face interview techniques and at the same time, it was coded using MAXQDA.V.20 software. The interviews were conducted in two months and each interview lasted between 45 and 65 minutes (average 50 minutes). Analyses were performed based on transcendental phenomenology. The first, horizontalization was done; and then, based on the semantic proximity of the sentences, clusters of meaning were formed as sub-themes, main themes and super-themes. When the themes emerged and the data reached saturation, the interviews ended (Cresswell, 2016: 61). Researcher reflexivity (reflexive-accounting) and peer debriefing (peer review) methods, were used to ensure the validation of the data.
Findings: Angles of the Mmarket-seeking phenomenon, emerged in seven main themes and 26 sub-themes. influence situation, in five themes of internet seduction, advice of market-seeker and definitive, embedding the surgery market in society, positioning of surgery, and intervening conditions; and affected situation by the phenomenon in two themes of social and relational disorder, and mental breakdown and disorder appeared; and came together in the super-theme of "multidimentional and entangled market-seeking" which represents the essence of the phenomenon. The themes that emerged from the interviews are presented in Table (1).
Table (1): Themes emerged from the interviews
Discussion: cosmetic surgery market-seeking is "multidimentional and entangled" phenomenon that forms "the experience of surgery under entangled market-seeking".
This widespread and uncontrolled market-seeking, brings consequences that one of its most negative consequences, is the inconsistency of advertisements and imaginations with surgical results, and as a result socio-psychological damages.
The adjustment of market-seeking efforts through the formulation and education of medical ethics, and liberating training in order to correct the views towards cosmetic surgery, are suggested.
Ethical Considerations:
Authors' Contribution: Authors had equal participation in the production of this research.
Funding: All research costs were funded by the authors and there were no other sponsors.
Conflict of interest: Authors have no never conflict of interest.
The ethics in social science research: all ethical codes of social studies, including the rights related to cited sources; also, formulation of research questions and conceptualization and reflection of evidence (experiences) without omission or distortion, honesty and impartiality about the phenomenon, etc., have been respected.
Acknowledgment: Authors are grateful to the interview participants and the doctors who provided the contact details of their patients to the authors.
Method: This is a transcendental phenomenological qualitative research with Moustakas model. The participants in the study are 11 women with cosmetic surgery experience in Zanjan city. The criterion for participating in the interview were, undergoing at least one cosmetic surgery (only for cosmetic reasons, not due to disfigurement or dysfunction) and a reconstructive surgery in a part of the body at most 12 months before the interview (not just by one surgeon), and willingness and informed consent to participate in the interview. Purposeful sampling was used to select the participants and to determine the number of participants. The data was collected at a suitable time and environment, through face-to-face interview techniques and at the same time, it was coded using MAXQDA.V.20 software. The interviews were conducted in two months and each interview lasted between 45 and 65 minutes (average 50 minutes). Analyses were performed based on transcendental phenomenology. The first, horizontalization was done; and then, based on the semantic proximity of the sentences, clusters of meaning were formed as sub-themes, main themes and super-themes. When the themes emerged and the data reached saturation, the interviews ended (Cresswell, 2016: 61). Researcher reflexivity (reflexive-accounting) and peer debriefing (peer review) methods, were used to ensure the validation of the data.
Findings: Angles of the Mmarket-seeking phenomenon, emerged in seven main themes and 26 sub-themes. influence situation, in five themes of internet seduction, advice of market-seeker and definitive, embedding the surgery market in society, positioning of surgery, and intervening conditions; and affected situation by the phenomenon in two themes of social and relational disorder, and mental breakdown and disorder appeared; and came together in the super-theme of "multidimentional and entangled market-seeking" which represents the essence of the phenomenon. The themes that emerged from the interviews are presented in Table (1).
Table (1): Themes emerged from the interviews
| sub-themes | main themes | super-themes |
| Trust to seductive internet information; The experience of placement under Untrue and censored information; Comparing the self-body with the operated bodies; virtual imagination. | internet seduction (influence situation) |
multidimentional and entangled market-seeking |
| Market-Seekers consulting experience; Cautious Market-Seeking; Professional superiority; The role-playing of surgery; Agreement and imagination from the words of the surgeon; A central and decisive opinion. | advice of market-seeker and definitive (influence situation) |
|
| A binding social and cultural belief; Social encouragement and promotion (in personal social network); Hidden motive. | Embedding the surgery market in society (influence situation) |
|
| Pricing of cosmetic surgery; Equipping with comparative evidence; dawdle and professional opportunism | Positioning of surgery (influence situation) |
|
| Experience unbiased advice and realistic visualization;Vigilance and awareness of the Patient-customer | Intervening conditions (influence situation) |
|
| Disorder in doctor-patient relationship; Critical conversation; Cover up and persuasion; Escape from sarcasm. | Social and relational disorder (affected situation) |
|
| An assessment sensitive to primary mentality; Reciting the decision and action taken; Blame yourself; Expectation and waiting for recovery. | Mental breakdown and disorder (affected situation) |
This widespread and uncontrolled market-seeking, brings consequences that one of its most negative consequences, is the inconsistency of advertisements and imaginations with surgical results, and as a result socio-psychological damages.
The adjustment of market-seeking efforts through the formulation and education of medical ethics, and liberating training in order to correct the views towards cosmetic surgery, are suggested.
Ethical Considerations:
Authors' Contribution: Authors had equal participation in the production of this research.
Funding: All research costs were funded by the authors and there were no other sponsors.
Conflict of interest: Authors have no never conflict of interest.
The ethics in social science research: all ethical codes of social studies, including the rights related to cited sources; also, formulation of research questions and conceptualization and reflection of evidence (experiences) without omission or distortion, honesty and impartiality about the phenomenon, etc., have been respected.
Acknowledgment: Authors are grateful to the interview participants and the doctors who provided the contact details of their patients to the authors.
Type of Study: orginal |
Received: 2022/11/3 | Accepted: 2023/10/21 | Published: 2024/02/14
Received: 2022/11/3 | Accepted: 2023/10/21 | Published: 2024/02/14
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