Percentuale di chi poi rimpiange ciascuna scelta. Le barre e il registro completo dei dati compaiono sotto.
Salute
Ultima revisione 2026-04-26
Qualità delle prove 3.75/5
Punteggio di revisione su otto dimensioni rispetto alla
griglia di qualità
. Ogni dimensione valutata da 1 a 5.
D1 Verifica delle fonti
4/5
D2 Autorità e indipendenza delle fonti
4/5
D3 Precisione del tasso di rimpianto
1/5
D4 Comparabilità delle fonti
2/5
D5 Schema di Gilovich
5/5
D6 Qualità della prosa
5/5
D7 Completezza degli avvertimenti
5/5
D8 Qualità del campione
4/5
Media3.75/5
Dati proxy — non esiste alcun sondaggio diretto sul rimpianto per questa decisione. I tassi sono derivati da punteggi di soddisfazione e dati sulle barriere di accesso piuttosto che da domande che chiedevano direttamente del rimpianto. Vedi avvertenze di seguito.
Rimpianto per azione
Ricorrere alla chirurgia estetica
10%
~10% si pente della procedura (intervallo 5-33% per tipo)
Pazienti di chirurgia estetica, revisione sistematica multi-studio
retrospettiva, tipicamente 1-5 anni post-procedura
Rimpianto per inazione
Rinunciare alla chirurgia estetica
7,0%
~5% (proxy segnaposto — non esiste un'indagine diretta)
Adulti statunitensi, rappresentativo a livello nazionale
retrospettiva, nessun arco temporale fisso
% rimpiange questa scelta
Ricorrere alla chirurgia esteticaRinunciare alla chirurgia estetica
10%7,0%
balanced — Approssimativamente equilibrato — entrambe le scelte comportano un rimpianto simile.
Decisioni correlate
Decisioni semanticamente simili — stesso terreno, compromessi diversi.
A 2024 American Journal of Surgery
systematic review places cosmetic surgery regret at
roughly 5—33% depending on procedure type: breast augmentation sits at
the low end (5—9%), body contouring at the high end (11—33%). That
review does not compute a single cross-procedure average, so we estimate ~10%
as a conservative editorial estimate near the lower-middle of that range
for elective cosmetic procedures, not a computed midpoint. A companion
2023 PMC narrative summary of the decision-regret literature does not add
its own numeric range but corroborates which factors drive regret (see
below); the AJS review itself reports rates only. On the inaction side, no large-sample survey directly measures regret about not
having cosmetic surgery. General body-dissatisfaction data (37% of
Americans per Ipsos) and cosmetic-consideration rates (70% per ASDS)
suggest that a non-trivial minority of non-patients harbor lasting
appearance dissatisfaction, but the 7% inaction figure is a ceiling
proxy — the Ipsos-reported share who say they would be willing to
undergo cosmetic surgery to achieve their ideal body — not a measured
regret rate or a survey finding about regret.
The pattern runs counter to the classic Gilovich finding. For most life
decisions, inaction regret dominates over time: people regret the degree not
pursued, the trip not taken, the relationship not attempted. Cosmetic surgery
inverts this because the action is irreversible, physically invasive, and
financially costly. A rhinoplasty that narrows the bridge too aggressively
cannot be fully undone; a breast augmentation that causes capsular contracture
is a daily reminder. The 2023 PMC review of the decision-regret literature
(not the 2024 AJS review, which reports rates only) identifies inadequate
preoperative education, limited use of decisional tools, and postoperative
complications as the strongest predictors of regret — suggesting that the
action-regret rate is substantially reducible through better screening and
counseling.
The main caveat is the asymmetry of evidence. The action side has genuine
peer-reviewed systematic reviews with procedure-specific breakdowns. The
inaction side has essentially nothing: body dissatisfaction surveys measure a
different construct, and ASDS consideration rates conflate casual curiosity
with genuine surgical intent. The 7% inaction figure used here is a ceiling
proxy — willingness to undergo cosmetic surgery, not a measured regret rate.
If a rigorous survey ever asks a representative sample of non-patients “Do
you regret not having cosmetic surgery?”, the true figure could be higher or
lower — and the direction of the Gilovich pattern could flip. Until then,
the delta (0.03) should be read as roughly balanced with a slight tilt
toward action regret, not as a precise quantitative claim.
Fonti: azione
Registro delle fonti
Ogni numero qui sotto è ciò che ciascuna fonte ha riportato, con la citazione testuale su cui ci siamo basati e come siamo arrivati alla nostra cifra. Clicca su qualsiasi link per verificare direttamente.
[1]The American Journal of Surgery — A systematic review of patient regret after surgery↗ 1 other entry
Articolo peer-reviewed
Regret after elective plastic surgery ranges from 5–33%; breast augmentation 5.1–9.1%, body contouring 10.82–33.3%
Estratto
“"Regret after elective plastic surgery operations is significantly higher compared to gender-affirming surgery. The percentage of patients reporting regret ranged from 0 to 47.1% in breast reconstruction, 5.1–9.1% in breast augmentation, and 10.82–33.3% in body contouring."
”
Dati originali da
2024-04-30
Consultato
2026-07-07
Calcolo
2024 AJS systematic review of patient regret across surgical subspecialties. Reported ranges for cosmetic procedures: breast augmentation 5.1–9.1%, body contouring 10.82–33.3%. The review provides the most comprehensive cross-specialty data but does not compute a weighted average across procedures. We use ~10% as a conservative editorial estimate sitting at the lower-middle of the cosmetic (non-reconstructive) range — not a computed midpoint — acknowledging the enormous variance by procedure type. This review reports regret rates only and does not analyze predictors or drivers of regret; the predictor finding below (preoperative education, decisional tools, postoperative complications) comes from the companion PMC 2023 source only, not from this review.
[2]Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open — Decision Regret in Plastic Surgery: A Summary
Articolo peer-reviewed
Qualitative summary of decision-regret literature; preoperative education, decisional tools, and postoperative complications are the strongest predictors
Estratto
“"After review of the literature, preoperative education, decisional tools, and postoperative complications were found to be the most important factors affecting decision regret after surgery."
”
Dati originali da
2023-06-01
Consultato
2026-07-07
Calcolo
PMC 2023 narrative summary of the decision-regret literature in plastic surgery (Jones, Cruz, Stewart, Losken; PRS Global Open). It does not report a single aggregate cosmetic regret rate; instead it identifies preoperative education, decisional tools, and postoperative complications as the strongest predictors of regret. The formal literature it draws on concentrates on breast reconstruction and gender-reaffirming procedures rather than aesthetic surgery. Used as a corroborating source on regret drivers, not for the numeric rate.
Fonti: inazione
Registro delle fonti
Ogni numero qui sotto è ciò che ciascuna fonte ha riportato, con la citazione testuale su cui ci siamo basati e come siamo arrivati alla nostra cifra. Clicca su qualsiasi link per verificare direttamente.
[1]Ipsos — Most Americans Experience Feeling Dissatisfied with How Their Body Looks from Time to Time↗ 2 other entries
Studio primario
7% of Americans say they would be willing to undergo cosmetic surgery to achieve their ideal body; 37% feel dissatisfied with their body whenever they look in the mirror
Estratto
“"Americans are not as willing to undergo cosmetic surgery (7%), consume laxatives (4%), and/or purge/throw-up after eating (1%)."
”
Dati originali da
2018-01-10
Consultato
2026-07-07
Calcolo
Ipsos survey of 1,004 US adults (Jan 3–5, 2018). No published survey directly asks non-patients whether they regret not having cosmetic surgery, so no true inaction-regret figure exists. Rather than invent a downward adjustment, this entry uses the survey's own directly-reported 7% figure: the share of respondents who said they would be willing to undergo cosmetic surgery to achieve their ideal body (grouped by Ipsos among the least-chosen extreme measures, alongside laxative use and purging), used as a ceiling/context proxy. It bounds the population plausibly dissatisfied enough with their appearance to entertain surgery, and so plausibly able to feel inaction regret, versus the much broader 37% general mirror-dissatisfaction figure, which includes many people who would never consider surgery specifically. This is explicitly a willingness proxy, not a measured regret rate, and should be read as an order-of-magnitude ceiling, not a finding.
[2]Practical Dermatology / ASDS — 2025 ASDS Survey: 70% of Consumers Considering Cosmetic Procedures
Fonte di riferimento
70% of Americans are considering a cosmetic dermatologic procedure
Estratto
“"Seventy percent of Americans are considering a cosmetic dermatologic procedure."
”
Dati originali da
2025-03-01
Consultato
2026-07-07
Calcolo
ASDS annual consumer survey. The 70% consideration rate is inflated by including minimally invasive treatments (Botox, fillers) alongside surgical procedures, and reflects loose interest rather than intent to act. No published survey directly measures inaction regret; this source is retained as corroborating context on the gap between broad "considering" figures and genuine willingness, not as the basis for the 7% proxy (see the Ipsos source above and caveats below).
Avvertenze
Le cifre di azione e inazione non sono simmetriche in metodologia o rigore. La stima del ~10% di rimpianto da azione è derivata da due revisioni sistematiche (PMC 2023, AJS 2024) che riportano intervalli specifici per procedura (aumento del seno 5-9%, body contouring 11-33%) ma nessuna singola cifra aggregata. Nessuna delle due revisioni calcola una media ponderata sulle procedure estetiche, quindi il 10% è una stima editoriale collocata nella metà inferiore dell'intervallo osservato. Il 5% lato inazione è un proxy segnaposto — nessuna indagine su largo campione chiede direttamente ai non pazienti se si pentono di non aver fatto chirurgia estetica. Il tasso di insoddisfazione corporea Ipsos (37%) è troppo ampio, e il tasso di considerazione ASDS (70%) riflette interesse vago, non rimpianto. Il 5% dovrebbe essere trattato come un proxy segnaposto d'ordine di grandezza, non come un risultato. Poiché entrambi i lati comportano un'incertezza sostanziale, il delta (0,05) dovrebbe essere letto come "all'incirca bilanciato con leggera inclinazione verso il rimpianto da azione" piuttosto che come un'affermazione quantitativa precisa. La chirurgia estetica è un controesempio al risultato tipico di predominio dell'inazione di Gilovich e Medvec: l'irreversibilità, il rischio di cicatrici fisiche e il costo finanziario della procedura sostengono il rimpianto da azione in un modo in cui la chirurgia elettiva non eseguita non lo fa.
