Having cosmetic nose surgery to look more white failed to boost self-esteem and lower stress levels of females in a Latin American country.
This is according to scientists from Dartmouth College, who studied 63 white, black or racially mixed women in Venezuela – 24 of whom had undergone nose procedures to make them look more like a caucasian person. The other 39 wanted to change their appearance through rhinoplasty at some point in the future.
Researchers discovered those who went through with the surgery failed to heighten their self-esteem levels.
Rhinoplasty surgery in Venezuela has become increasingly popular in recent years and all of the black or racially mixed participants in the Dartmouth College study wanted a “la nariz perfilda”, or “well formed nose” that is commonly associated with caucasian ethnicity.
Hugo Chavez, the late leader of the country, was often critical of the number of women wanting rhinoplasty and argued it was spurred on by the prioritisation of lighter skin colour in Venezuelan society.
Professor Lauren Gulbas, who authored the study, said: “Rhinoplasty is offered by physicians and interpreted by patients as a resolution to body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem, [but] cosmetic surgery only acts as a stopgap measure to heighten one’s self-esteem.”
