75 per cent of face lift patients still look younger more than five years after surgery, reports a long-term follow-up study published in the medical journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 2012.
The comprehensive study means patients have verified, realistic expectations for their own plastic surgery. Patients can confidently predict how long their new look will last.
No treatment can permanently stop the aging process, of course. Sun damage and the effects of gravity continue to affect skin tone, elasticity, and firmness. But facial surgery can have very successful outcomes, with improved aesthetic appearance even five years after the procedure.
During a facelift known as rhytidectomy, the visible signs of aging are improved by tightening and repositioning facial muscles and skin. Fat grafting may be done, too, to add volume and firmness. The surgery leaves minimal scars, barely visible behind ears and under the hairline. These results won’t change, though the patient will of course continue to age normally.
There are also non-surgical facial rejuvenation treatments, such as neurotoxin injections and dermal fillers. These treatments, while often successful, do not last as long as surgical treatments. Dermal fillers, for example, are reabsorbed into the body over a period of months.
Survey results
The study of 50 participants included objective and subjective physical assessments. The average time after surgery was 5.5 years at the time of the survey.
Objective measurements were taken from a serious of standardized photographs. The angle of the chin to the neck, and jowl height, were measured by researchers.
Subjective measurements of key facial aging areas were considered. These included the parentheses lines running between the outer corner of the nose to the outer corner of the mouth, and the lines running from mouth to chin.
Additionally, every participant conducted an overall subjective assessment of their appearance.
Both objective and subjective assessments indicated significant improvement even years after surgery. 76 per cent of patients looked younger 5 years after their surgery than they did before. And the subjective assessments reported very little deterioration.
The neck was the area which aged the most after surgery. The neck-to-chin angle showed a 70 per cent decrease in improvement, though this is still a 30 per cent improvement to pre-surgery appearance.
The study means that patients will feel more positive about their post-surgery results now they know what to expect. And people considering plastic surgery or face lifts can expect great results at least five years after surgery, and probably longer.
Resources used in researching this article include 24-7 Press Release: Detroit Cosmetic Surgeon Finds Face Lift Patients Still Look Younger Years After Surgery
