A new study of 93 facelift patients found that 96.7 percent reported a more youthful appearance after surgery, and they felt that they look, on average, 11.9 years younger after the surgery.
The study also found that:
- 82 percent had an improvement in self-esteem
- 69.6 percent reported an improved quality of life
The study’s author, plastic surgeon Dr. Eric Swanson, writes that patient satisfaction and the effects of surgery on quality of life are two of the most important factors in determining if a surgery is a success, but they had not been previously prospectively studied in patients undergoing facelifts alone or in combination with other facial procedures.
Swanson conducted interviews with the patients, whose mean age was 56.6 years, one month after surgery. The patients had a deep plane facelift or a facelift along with another surgery, including eyelid surgery, forehead lift and endoscopic forehead lift. Other commonly performed procedures done at the time of the facelift included laser resurfacing, fat injection and chin augmentation.
The author concluded, With proper patient preparation and education, facial rejuvenation effectively meets patient expectations. These findings support the recommendation of surgical facial rejuvenation to patients who wish to look younger.
Despite the substantial recovery time the patients reported for facelifts, the majority of patients (83.9 percent) said they would have the surgery again, and 93.5 percent said they would recommend the surgery to someone else.
The study will appear in the next issue of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery journal and the abstract is available online.
Dr. Jonov is a cosmetic surgeon who specializes in plastic surgeries of the face, breast, and body at Seattle Plastic Surgery.
