Cosmetic Surgery TV Shows Get Viewers Pondering

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No significant differences were found between the groups, however, when the researchers asked particpants if they intended to go ahead with a particular surgery. While 54 percent of the high-intensity viewers said they did intend to proceed, 39 percent of the low-intensity viewer said they intended to undergo a procedure.

While the researchers could not confirm a cause and effect relationship, Persing's group wrote that their results "lend strong support to the idea that plastic surgery reality television shows influence both the expectations and choices of potential cosmetic surgery patients."

In 2006, nearly 11 million cosmetic surgery procedures were done in the United States, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons -- up 7 percent from 2005.

In an interview, Persing said potential patients should be aware that situations that crop up in these reality TV shows are there for entertainment purposes and do not reflect actual practice.

For instance, he says, some shows include a discussion of the doctor's personal life. In real life, that is almost never the case, he said.

On some episodes of reality television, the made-over person has a party with friends and family to unveil their new self. In real life, notes Persing, people "should not expect their own personal 'reveal.' "

Besides the complicated logistics of persuading dozens of your closest friends and family members to come see the new you (as is done on some of the shows), he said, many people still want to keep their cosmetic work private.

Stuart Fischoff, an expert on how media influences consumer behavior, had mixed feelings about the study.

"It's a sexy study, it will get play," said Fischoff, professor emeritus of psychology at California State University, Los Angeles, and a senior editor at the Journal of Media Psychology.

Some of the findings are no surprise, he added. "People who watch a lot of these plastic surgery shows are going to come in with a set of expectations," he said. "And they may be unrealistic."