JULY 25, 2026 07:46
Experts have found that addictions are common and increasing – not only to alcohol and tobacco, but also to gambling, buying useless goods online, constant scrolling on social media, gaming, and workaholism
Now there is also an addictive behavior involving the craving to undergo cosmetic procedures to look better. Those who constantly use social media – looking at “perfect” female faces and bodies and comparing themselves with these images – are at a higher risk
As these procedures become increasingly normalized around the world, a new study conducted by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) suggests that, for some women, repeated treatments may become addiction-like rather than being aimed at looking somewhat better
The procedures performed in the study were surgical, such as liposuction to remove abdominal fat, face and head procedures like facelifts, body and buttock lifts, and nonsurgical procedures like the injection of botulinum toxin to minimize wrinkles
The study found that one in five women who had undergone cosmetic procedures met the threshold for moderate-to-severe risk of addictive cosmetic procedure use, with low body esteem and problematic social media use emerging as the strongest risk factors
The study was led by Dr. Vera Skvirsky, together with Dr. Uri Lifshin, Dr. Dvora Shmulewitz, and Prof. Mario Mikulincer from HUJI’s psychology department and the Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health
It was published in the Journal of Health Psychology under the title “Prevalence of addictive use of cosmetic procedures and risk factors among Israeli [Jewish] women.”
While examining “Addictive Cosmetic Procedures Use” (ACPU) among the women, the researchers listed 11 items assessing indicators/symptoms, including “I wanted to cut down on or stop having cosmetic procedures, but I couldn’t.”
They computed a total score for each participant by summing up answers to the 11 items, dividing the responses into mild (one to three procedures), moderate, (four or five), and severe (six and over) ACPU
The researchers surveyed 1,614 women between the ages of 25 and 71, making it one of the largest investigations to date into the psychological patterns associated with repeated cosmetic treatments
The findings point to a phenomenon that the team said deserves “greater attention from both clinicians and the public.”
Among women who had undergone cosmetic procedures, 20% met the threshold for moderate-to-severe risk of addictive cosmetic procedure use during their lifetime; more than 15% reported symptoms that were addictive within the past year
Across the full sample, nearly 9% of the women showed moderate-to-severe signs of problematic cosmetic procedure use. The researchers adapted an assessment tool originally based on criteria published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for substance-related disorders
Participants were asked questions typically associated with addiction, including whether they had unsuccessfully tried to stop undergoing cosmetic procedures, felt compelled to continue despite negative consequences, or experienced cravings related to treatments
Previous research has linked cosmetic procedures to body-image concerns and body dysmorphic disorder – when one can’t stop thinking about perceived defects or flaws in their appearance that appear minor or can’t be seen by others
But this study goes further by examining whether repeated cosmetic treatments can, in some cases, resemble a behavioral addiction
Unlike earlier research that focused on patients at cosmetic clinics, this one surveyed women from the general population and found that addiction-like patterns were most strongly associated with the combination of low body esteem and problematic social media use
While cosmetic procedures are often linked with confidence and self-expression, the researchers found that repeated engagement may also coincide with vulnerabilities tied to body image and digital behavior
Women with lower body esteem were much more likely to report addictive patterns of cosmetic procedure use, especially when paired with high levels of problematic social media use
Participants who reported problematic or excessive social media behavior were especially vulnerable if they also struggled with dissatisfaction about their appearance
The researchers also observed smaller links between addictive cosmetic procedure use and attitudes that gave priorities to traditional gender roles, valued distinct physical traits in partners, or perceived women’s rights advancements as a societal re
The women studied also had difficulty trusting, relying on, or feeling emotionally safe with others and had more negative attitudes toward aging – although those relationships were less consistent once multiple factors were analyzed together, they said
THE FINDINGS were published at a time of a significant increase in cosmetic procedures, including plastic surgery, around the world.
According to international estimates cited in the paper, cosmetic interventions worldwide rose by roughly 40% between 2019 and 2023
Skvirsky, who has advanced degrees in clinical social work from Bar-Ilan University and whose research interests include addiction, mental health, and risk-taking behaviors, was careful not to state that women who undergo many such procedures are “addicted.”
Instead, she designates it as “addictive behavior.” There are strict definitions of addiction in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and undergoing numerous aesthetic treatments is not on the list
Skvirsky told The Jerusalem Post in an interview that “addiction is the chronic neurological and psychological condition (a state of dependency), while addictive behavior is the specific action or process that a person repeatedly engages in to achieve pleasure or relieve distress.”
Thus, addiction is the disease and the state of the brain; addictive behavior is the symptom
She and her team stressed that the study does not claim that cosmetic procedures are inherently harmful but that in some cases, repeated engagement may take on characteristics similar to behavioral addictions already recognized in mental health research
“Cosmetic procedures have become very normalized in many societies, and for many people, they may be a positive experience,” Skvirsky said
“But our findings suggest that for a meaningful minority, the behavior may begin to resemble other compulsive patterns we see in addiction research, especially when low body esteem and problematic social media use are involved,” she noted
“We wanted to understand the psychological factors.”
The researchers cautioned that the study was cross-sectional – that it couldn’t determine cause and effect
It remains unclear whether problematic social media use contributes to addictive cosmetic behavior, whether cosmetic procedures themselves influence body image and online engagement, or whether other psychological factors drive both
Skvirsky conceded that the study, which the team worked on for a year and a half, was preliminary, “so there are many more questions and factors that we want to study in the future.”
“These include whether men also had such addictive behaviors; whether some treatments were more addictive than others; which social media had the most influence; whether some women suffered from body dysmorphic disorder; whether women younger than 25 and older than 71 also seek many treatments; and whether women who suffer from anxiety or depression are at greater risk,” she said
The team also didn’t look into the possibility that young religious women sought treatments to raise their chances of finding a marital match, whether the phenomenon exists to a similar extent abroad, and whether ACPU can be treated or prevented
