London: School bullies are more likely to seek plastic surgery when they grow older to look good and achieve 'dominance' whereas victims of bullying choose to have surgery to change their appearance that was mocked, a recent study has revealed.
"We found in our study, that everyone who was involved in bullying had a higher desire for cosmetic surgery", Professor Dieter Wolke of Warwick University said while talking to MailOnline.
"The desire for cosmetic surgery in bullied adolescents is immediate and long-lasting", he added.
"Being victimized by peers resulted in poor psychological functioning, which increased desire for cosmetic surgery", he said.
Researchers used a sample group of 800 adolescents including bullies, victims, those in both categories and those unaffected.
"For bullies, cosmetic surgery may simply be another tactic to increase social status ... to look good and achieve dominance", they found.
"Our results suggest that cosmetic surgeons should screen candidates for psychological vulnerability and history of bullying", they revealed.
Between 2014 and 2015, 15.9 million surgical and minimally invasive procedures were performed in the US.
Some 226,000 of those were performed in 13 to 19 year olds, figures from the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons suggest.
Rates of cosmetic surgery are similarly increasing in the UK. In total, 30,750 cosmetic operations were carried out on men and women last year.
Young people could have less of a desire for plastic surgery if mental health issues arising from bullying are addressed, according to the authors.
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