THE BROKEN MIRROR

Body dysmorphia - the all-consuming obsession with perceived flaws in our looks - is sweeping the globe. One in five young people is thought to be affected. What can be done and how is tech changing the way we see ourselves?

- DR TONI PIKOOS

If you've made a resolution around changing your appearance, you're not alone. Around 43% of adults in the UK set a goal to lose weight last year. For many, these aims may also extend to more extreme methods of appearance alteration, such as cosmetic procedures or plastic surgeries.

But when does this common, widespread desire for self-improvement or enhancement become something more sinister? For around 3% of the general population, the drive to fix or change one's physical appearance becomes a constant - a condition known as body dysmorphic disorder (BDD).

Individuals with BDD see themselves as having serious defects or flaws in their bodies, that to other people would seem slight or potentially even non-existent.

Take Rebecca*, a 36-yearold woman who strongly believes she looks like a 'moon-face' because she can't help but stare, into the mirror, at acne scars that cover her skin.

Or Tyson*, the 17-year-old who spends hours at the gym each day to build up his muscle mass, because he feels he looks like a 'toothpick'.

Both Tyson and Rebecca have been reassured countless times by their families, friends and medical professionals that the way they see themselves doesn't match how they're perceived by others, but they just don't believe them.

Seeing is believing, right? But what happens when your eyes deceive you?

A long obsession

BDD is not a new condition. It was first described by Italian psychiatrist Enrico Morselli back in 1891, long before we were glued to our Tik Tok feeds.