This may seem pretty obvious to those of us who perform and undergo plastic surgery, but a new study from the University of Toronto is backing up the fact that facial plastic surgery procedures are quite effective in making patients look younger.
Specifically, patients look an average of 7.2 years younger after undergoing procedures to enhance facial appearance.
Participants were asked to compare before and after photos of plastic surgery patients and guess their ages in each of the photos. The patients involved in the study – 60 in all – ranged in actual age from 45 to 72, so this certainly provides a broad picture of how plastic surgery can offer a more youthful appearance for patients at a full range of ages.
It is interesting to note that this study was specific to measuring surgical procedures rather than non-surgical ones, so while facelifts, eyelid surgery and forehead lifts were analyzed, the results of nonsurgical aesthetic procedures like Botox were not measured.
Another important point is that the study seemed to find a correlation between the number of surgeries a patient had undergone and the overall years removed from that patient’s appearance.
In short, these findings confirmed what the plastic surgery industry has been aware of for years: aesthetic plastic surgery procedures work the way they were intended, and patients who undergo these procedures appear younger afterward.
The study’s authors also provide some insight into why plastic surgery continues to increase in popularity throughout society, saying, “Physical appearance and how we are perceived by others have implications for social and psychological functioning, as well as our sense of well-being, self-esteem, and self-confidence. “
This also explains why plastic surgery tends to remain at the forefront of technology, constantly improving existing procedures and creating new ones. Simply put, our appearance is important to us from both a psychological and sociological standpoint.
Of course the study, commentary around the internet and our own experience all underscore the important fact that in order to achieve these kinds of results, patients need to seek out qualified, board-certified surgeons.
If you are considering aesthetic facial plastic surgery, these findings should help you feel more confident that your goal of a younger appearance is one that can certainly be achieved.