Does anyone else deal with body image issues? I feel like it's an extension of my OCD. I obsess over my body and face. I have a round face and have hated it my entire life. I have a chin and jawline, but they aren't prominent like a lot of celebrities or just girls I see with what I consider to be skinnier and more beautiful face shapes. I hate the way I look in pictures and insist only having them taken on my best side. I think the other side of my face is uneven. I've looked into becal fat removal and cool sculpting for my chin and jawline. I obsess over my stomach and arms. I love the way I look in the mirror when I do my makeup and hair. And then I hate how I look in pictures. It sucks. I feel like no matter how much time I spend on getting ready, I still look hideous. Again, I think this is another form of my OCD taking place but not sure. Is body dysmorphia it's own thing or can it be an obsessional thing? I compare how skinny I was in high school to now (comparing pictures) until I cry. I pull back the fat on my chin and cheeks because I hate it. And I grab the fat on my stomach and arms when showing my mom how overweight I am. She and my friends say I'm the only one who sees it. But who would honestly tell their daughter or friend that they're overweight or ugly? I think they're lying. It causes me such distress that I want to cry every time I see myself in the mirror or in a picture. I have some medical conditions that keep me from working out as much as I'd like to and from doing cardio. So that's one of the disadvantages I have. I also find it impossible to eat super healthy. I love pasta, bread, etc. I don't know how people give that stuff up for stuff that is disgusting. I can kind of find healthy alternatives for breakfast and lunch. But for dinner I am completely stumped. I really shouldn't eat carbs at all. I should actually have protein and fiber. But I literally cry if I end up eating chicken cooked a million different ways for the millionth time. It gets so boring and is so time consuming as well as energy consuming. Sorry for the long rant. But my anxiety is going a mile a minute and I just seriously want to cry. I wish I could just eat nothing but I can't. I'm also not considered overweight or anything. I'm... normal I guess. I'm just not toned. And it's so hard when I see all my healthy friends who have time and energy to cook healthy and work out every single day looking gorgeous while I'm here and can barely get out of bed like a bump on a log. ):

Hello, I had some similar problems when I was younger. I refused to have any photos taken and would cry, be angry or get really anxious if I had to see myself in photos. For me it was a problem with my face, teeth and jaw. Sometimes it got so bad that at nights I would cry, look in the mirror and imagine my teeth getting even more crooked and I felt horrible in my own body and just wanted to pull them all out and hurt myself. I also hated my small, not prominent jaw and I spent hours on sites to find out how I could fix them and what kind of surgeries I could get. I also felt bitter at my friends who would take selfies and post them online and always get praised by others, because I couldn't do that. What I want to say is that it gets better, but accepting imperfections in this society will take time and strength...I was 16 then and 23 now and I still don't like how I look and avoid photos, but it no longer controls me or causes me great anxiety. It will get better, therapy and time helped for me. With time you will find out too that body and face and their perfection are NOT what defines you and there are so many other things in you and your life that are more important! Be strong!

I feel very self conscious

Yes. I am with you on this. This is what I experience as well. I’ve thankfully never had a surgery, but I did get Botox and derma fillers to correct my perceived flaws, and once I did, it triggered the worst spike in my OCD that I’ve ever experienced. It’s 4 weeks later, and I’m getting better everyday. My own husband didn’t even noticed the subtle change from the infections, my mom reassured me that my results are natural looking and that I look great, but I have been plagued by regret, shame, guilt, and a whole mashup of other, seemingly unbearable feelings. It escalated my desire to compare old photos to new ones. I’ve been on Google getting terrified by all the things that could have gone wrong (but didn’t) and yet I’m still able to convince myself that something has gone wrong i jsut can’t tell yet, or will. It’s horrible. I have blood work done to make sure I’m fine, and followed up with the doctor to be sure everything went accordingly. These reassurances did not stop my obsessive thoughts about what I have done to destroy myself. I should note, the injections are temporary and will dissolve on their own, and I’ll return to my “baseline.” Even knowing this, I have still been struggling, and wanting to speed up time to when it’ll all go away. I was unhappy and obsessing over my flaws, mirror checking, comparing myself to old photos or celebs, and this “modest” temporary alteration did nothing to fix it. It only made me feel worse. The blessing in disguise is that I know have the insight to know that changing the physical isn’t going to treat what is going on inside me. I know now that I will never get plastic surgery and make an ireversible change, I will work on why I feel this way with a therapist. I’ve been doing cbt excersixes which has helped tremendously, and time will correct what I’m currently harping on with my face. Everyday has been better than the last. I’m so glad to have seen your post, knowing I’m not alone in these thoughts. Thank you.