There is no correlation between getting a face-lift surgery and an increase in self-esteem, a new study revealed. Patients who get a face-lift will look 10 years younger, researchers said, but it will not guarantee a change in their self-perception.
Researchers interviewed 59 patients whose age range was from 37 to 73 years old and had been planning to get a face-lift surgery from June to October 2013. Of these patients, 50 accomplished the six-month post-surgery questionnaire in which they assessed their feelings of self-worth. All patients who answered the survey, except for two, were women whose average age was 58 years old.
Dr. Andrew Jacono from New York Facial Plastic Surgery and his colleagues wanted to comprehend the association between self-esteem and the results of aesthetic facial rejuvenation.
The patients were asked to answer the questionnaire before their surgery and then six months after the procedure, which was performed by one single surgeon in New York. The statements they included in the questionnaire were, "I take a positive attitude toward myself," "At times, I think I am no good at all," and "I feel I do not have much to be proud of." A score of 15 to 25 indicated normal, while anything lower than 15 showed lack of self-esteem.
Researchers then assessed the results from there.
Before the face-lift surgery, patients' average self-esteem was 24.3. After the procedure, the patients' average self-esteem was 24.6. At the second questionnaire, however, researchers added a new question. The patients were asked about how much younger they thought they looked like after their operation. The average answer was 8.9 years younger.
The team also grouped the patients according to their pre-surgery scores. Before going through the surgery, those who were classified under the low self-esteem group had an average score of 18.3; but when they were grouped according to their post-surgery scores, their average score improved to 22.
Meanwhile, patients who started out on the group with high self-esteem had an average score of 29.7, but after the surgery, their average score dropped to 26.6.
To find the accurate results, researchers considered factors such as age of patients and their body mass index, as well as history of psychiatric treatment. However, none of these factors was significantly related to self-esteem caused by cosmetic surgeries, the researchers explained.
"These findings underscore the complex nature of the human psyche as it relates to aesthetic surgery and demonstrates that patients exhibit a wide spectrum of psychological reactions after face-lift surgery," the study concluded.
The results of the study were issued in the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.
Photo : James Mutter | Flickr
