When patients are contemplating facial plastic surgery the first thing that comes to mind is making the face more attractive. Plastic surgery often springs from a desire to look younger and more attractive. But it may not be possible to have both. A recent study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association found that while facial plastic surgery reverses several years of visual aging, it doesn’t make you prettier.
“Unfortunately a big part of attractiveness comes from a person’s bone structure and genetic predisposition,” says Dr. Andrew Miller, a facial plastic surgeon in New Jersey. The study suggests that facial plastic surgery such as a facelift, brow lift and eyelid surgery will take off a certain number of years, possibly decrease the look of aging, and make the face look more refreshed and less tired. Researchers asked 50 strangers to guess the age of 49 patients before and after they underwent facial surgical procedures. Then, the strangers were asked to assign the patient a number from 1 to 10 based on their attractiveness. The researchers discovered while plastic surgery did take off a few years from the patient’s perceived age, it did not make them any more attractive to observers.
“The good news is that having a surgical procedure can boost a person’s self-esteem and make them feel better about themselves,” says Dr. Miller, who also specializes in cheeklift surgery. Having relatively realistic expectations and choosing a well-qualified surgeon will ensure the best possible outcome and happiness with the overall results.