ByJUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH

JULY 25, 2026 07:46

Specialists observe that dependencies are widespread and rising, extending past alcohol and tobacco to encompass gambling, pointless online purchases, nonstop social media browsing, gaming, and excessive work habits.

An emerging pattern involves a strong urge for cosmetic interventions to improve looks. Individuals who frequently engage with social platforms, viewing idealized images and measuring themselves against them, face greater vulnerability.

With such treatments growing more common globally, a recent investigation by Hebrew University of Jerusalem scholars indicates that repeated procedures can shift into compulsive patterns for some women rather than simple aesthetic improvements.

Interventions examined covered operations like abdominal fat removal through liposuction, facial and cranial work such as lifts, body and buttock enhancements, plus non-surgical options including botulinum toxin shots to reduce lines.

Results revealed that one in five women with prior cosmetic work reached moderate-to-severe levels of addictive procedure use risk, driven most by poor body esteem and troubling social media patterns.

Dr. Vera Skvirsky led the effort with Dr. Uri Lifshin, Dr. Dvora Shmulewitz, and Prof. Mario Mikulincer from the psychology department and Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health.

The work appeared in the Journal of Health Psychology as “Prevalence of addictive use of cosmetic procedures and risk factors among Israeli women.”

Researchers assessed addictive cosmetic procedure use via 11 markers, such as “I wanted to cut down on or stop having cosmetic procedures, but I could not.”

They tallied scores per participant, grouping them into mild (one to three), moderate (four or five), and severe (six or more) categories.

The team polled 1,614 women aged 25 to 71 in one of the broadest studies on psychological links to repeated cosmetic work.

Self-esteem, body image tied to addictive patterns of cosmetic procedure use

Outcomes highlight an issue meriting closer scrutiny from clinicians and the wider public.

Of women who had cosmetic procedures, 20 percent met moderate-to-severe risk thresholds over their lifetime, while more than 15 percent showed recent addictive symptoms in the past year.

Nearly 9 percent of the overall group displayed moderate-to-severe signs of problematic use. The assessment drew from Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders substance criteria.

Participants answered queries on failed efforts to quit, continued use despite drawbacks, and treatment-related cravings.

Earlier studies connected procedures to body image worries and body dysmorphic disorder, yet this work explores parallels to behavioral addictions.

Unlike clinic-focused prior efforts, this general-population survey tied addiction-like trends most closely to low body esteem combined with problematic social media habits.

While often viewed as boosts to confidence, repeated procedures may align with body image and digital vulnerabilities.

Women reporting lower body esteem showed higher addictive patterns, particularly alongside heavy social media issues.

Those with excessive online behavior proved especially susceptible when also dissatisfied with their appearance.

Smaller connections appeared with views prioritizing traditional gender roles, valuing specific partner traits, or seeing women’s rights gains as threats.

Participants often struggled with trust and emotional security while holding negative aging attitudes, though these links weakened in combined analyses.

Cosmetic surgeries on the rise worldwide

THE RESULTS emerged amid rising global cosmetic interventions.

International data in the paper noted roughly 40 percent growth from 2019 to 2023.

Skvirsky, with clinical social work training from Bar-Ilan University and focus on addiction and mental health, avoided labeling frequent users as addicted.

She described it instead as addictive behavior, noting that strict addiction definitions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual do not list repeated aesthetic treatments.

Skvirsky explained to The Jerusalem Post that addiction represents a chronic neurological and psychological dependency state, whereas addictive behavior is the repeated action for pleasure or relief.

Thus addiction is the underlying condition while the behavior serves as the symptom.

The team emphasized that procedures are not inherently damaging but that repetition can mirror recognized behavioral addictions in some instances.

“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 noted the cross-sectional design prevents establishing cause and effect.

It is unclear if social media habits drive the behavior, if procedures alter body views and online activity, or if other factors influence both.

Skvirsky described the year-and-a-half study as preliminary, with further questions ahead.

“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 omitted analysis of young religious women seeking treatments for marriage prospects, international parallels, and options for treatment or prevention.