If you thought facial plastic surgery ranging from a face rejuvenation and brow lift, to eyelid surgery or nose re-shaping will add beauty and make you look appealing, think again!
According to researchers, nipping and tucking for cosmetic procedures results in a more youthful appearance, but falls short on beauty.The study found facelifts stripped patients off about the three years but failed to increase their levels of attractiveness.
Dr Joshua Zimm, facial plastic surgeon at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City who led the latest study stated, “The drive to maintain a youthful appearance and attractiveness has been an important motivating factor leading patients to seek aesthetic facial surgery. From this study, it seems that the attractiveness level will remain the same, regardless of age.”
Preoperative and postoperative photographs examined
The objective of the study was to test whether facial plastic surgery shaves off years and adds beauty. The researchers enrolled a set of 49 patients from a Toronto private-practice center who had undergone “facial rejuvenation” (face lift, neck lift, upper or lower eyelid lift and a brow lift) between 2006 and 2010.
The participants with an average age of 57 were snapped before and after their cosmetic procedure sans make up or jewelry. A group of 50 “raters” comprising hospital staff and strangers were asked to examine the photographs to gauge the patients’ ages and rate their overall attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10.
In order to rule out bias each reviewer judged only a “before” or “after” picture of a given patient while evaluting the change due to surgery.
Outcome of the study
The reviewers estimated the patients’ ages to be about 2.1 years younger than their chronological age before the surgery and 5.2 years younger post the procedure. The overall difference translated into 3.1 years.
Though the facelift made them look a little younger, it failed to make them appear more attractive. Most people scored 4 to 6 both before and after their surgery, claim researchers.
Dr Zimm stated, “From this study, it seems the attractiveness level will remain the same, regardless of age. The age reduction is more substantial when the number of surgical procedures is increased, but this did not significantly improve overall attractiveness.”
The findings of the study are published online in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.
