Women perceived to look, “younger”, “healthier” and “more attractive” after face-lifts, says study

A study published in the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery has shown that women are perceived to be younger, better-looking, healthier and more successful after undergoing "optimal" facelifts.

The aim of the study was to ascertain how effective face-lifts are making women look better when judged by the public.

Researchers asked five Baltimore-area facial plastic surgeons to provide "after" photos of 16 women who'd undergone face-lifts with "optimal" results. The photos were taken at least six months after surgery.

A team then chose 13 of those women, with an average age of 58, to serve as subjects in the study. The researchers then showed "before" and "after" photos of the women to 483 online survey participants.

From "before" photos, the participants as a whole estimated the average age of the facelift patients as 60. After, that estimated age dropped to 56.

The participants also ranked the patients higher based on "after" photos on 1-100 scales of attractiveness, perceived success and perceived overall health. Between "before" and "after" photos, the average rating grew from 49 to 57 for attractiveness; 58 to 63 for perceived success; and 55 to 64 for perceived overall health.

"We showed for the first time that there is a measurable improvement in the appearance of patients undergoing facelift surgery as appreciated by the layperson," said study co-author Dr Lisa Ishii, an associate professor and chief quality officer with Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore.