Michael Jackson may be the poster child for body dysmorphic disorder-a condition in which people view themselves as ugly and obsess over their appearance-but according to a MSNBC.com article this week, BDD can affect just about anyone. Studies estimate that 1-2% of the population has BDD-that's two to five million Americans-but doctors suggest the number could be higher. Further studies show that 7-15% of cosmetic surgery patients may have BDD.

"I saw a patient a year ago-a beautiful young girl of 20-and she was completely debilitated by the belief that her head was too small," says Dr. Katherine A. Phillips. "She was going up and down the East Coast trying to find a surgeon who would make her head bigger. Another man had had five to six surgeries on his nose, trying to get it to look 'right.' But no matter what the surgeon did, the man thought it looked horrible."

Phillips told MSNBC that "in the majority of cases, cosmetic surgery has no impact whatsoever on how patients feel about their appearance, and oftentimes, they'll come away feeling worse."