Empathy and Ethics in Aesthetic Surgery: Between Medical Responsibility and Socially Constructed Beauty Ideals

Vollständiger Abstract

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Objective. To analyze the ethical, psychological, and social dimensions of contemporary aesthetic surgery, with particular emphasis on empathy in clinical decision-making, patient autonomy, body image disturbance, and the risks associated with unregulated practice. Narrative review. This manuscript is based on a qualitative narrative review of the literature in plastic surgery, bioethics, psychology, and public health, including professional guidance documents and selected epidemiological reports. Available evidence was examined through the core principles of medical ethics: beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice. Aesthetic surgery increasingly operates at the intersection of medicine, consumer culture, and digitally mediated beauty ideals. The literature indicates that requests for aesthetic procedures may be shaped by social media exposure, unrealistic expectations, and, in some patients, body dysmorphic disorder or other psychological vulnerabilities. Ethical practice, therefore, requires empathic communication, careful assessment of indications, and willingness to decline procedures that are unlikely to benefit the patient. The growing presence of unlicensed providers further underlines the need for stronger regulation and public education. Conclusion. Aesthetic surgery should remain grounded in medical professionalism, with empathic ethical judgment, psychological vigilance, and patient safety at the center of care.