The place of the patient in society.

Although the need for plastic surgery in individuals with disfigured faces or congenital abnormalities is widely recognized, the equally strong need by those with aesthetic defects for such surgery has historically been less widely accepted. Yet such individuals may suffer irreparable psychological damage as a result of their visible difference from others in their culture. A society's valuations of an individual's features can strongly affect behavior and attitudes, and should be considered as a valid justification for aesthetic plastic surgery.