Cosmetic surgery study raises eyebrows

Some facial surgeries make you look younger and others make you look more attractive

October 17, 2013

Operations that change the size and shape of your nose, chin, cheeks and jawline can increase your attractiveness, according to Southwest Florida board certified cosmetic surgeon, Dr. Robert Brueck MD F.A.C.S.

A recent study of plastic surgery patients and their results raised a lot of eyebrows due to some unexpected results. Pre-op and post-op photos of patients (37 women and 12 men) who had facial rejuvenation surgeries such as facelifts, brow lifts and eyelid cosmetic surgery were evaluated by independent reviewers. The study found that plastic surgery made people look about three years younger but did not have a significant effect on how "attractive" they appeared to be.

Michael Yaremchuk, M.D., Chief of Craniofacial Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed the study results with colleagues from the American Society for Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and put the study in context to explain the results. They turn out to less surprising when the facts are considered:

• The study, published in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, included only one plastic surgeon's surgeries, which may not reflect plastic surgery results in general.
• It doesn't include any pictures of the surgical results.
• Most patients in the study had eyelid surgery (upper and lower lid blepharoplasty and browlifts), which can make eyes look round and hollow from the removal of too much fat and skin, which can appear to be be aging. In addition, young women actually have low brows, which may elevate with age. So it's no surprise that this surgery did not make people look younger.

Even more significant, according to the Yaremchuk, brow lifts, eye lifts and face lifts are designed to bring ones appearance to where it was years before. If ones face was considered attractive before the "lift," it will, at best, return the face to that appearance. If the face was considered unattractive before, it will return to a younger version of that "unattractive" face.

Attractiveness for a face is a result of the balance of facial features (nose, chin, cheeks and jawline). Cosmetic surgeries that change the size and shape of these features can make ones face more attractive. The primary determinant of facial appearance is the facial skeleton. Procedures with the most significant impact on facial appearance are those that manipulate the skeleton: rhinoplasty (alters the nasal bones) and cheek bone, chin and jaw implants.

So, it makes perfect sense that face lifts, brow lifts and eyelid surgeries can help you appear younger, but you should not expect them to change your level of attractiveness. If you're happy with your underlying facial structure and want to look younger, a face lift can achieve that goal. It's true, however, that "younger" is often perceived as more "attractive".

What's drying out your eyes?

As a Florida plastic surgeon,  one of my favorite operations is an upper eyelid Blepharoplasty or eyelid lift.

Before and after photos of a blepharoplasty

The most common complication following a Blepharoplasty is dry eyes.   

There are several herbal products associated with dry eyes.  One is Niacin or vitamin B3.  Others include Echinacea, kava and anti-cholinergic alkaloids.  I have requested all my patients to stop ALL herbal supplements.  

Keeping things simple is the best.

Dr. Brueck discusses eyelid lifts on TV

Dr. Robert J. Brueck MD FACS is a Board Certified plastic surgeon who has been practicing for more than 30 years. His free standing cosmetic surgery center is located at 3700 Central Avenue in Fort Myers, Fl, with a satellite office in Cape Coral, FL. He blogs here regularly on subjects of health, medicine and plastic surgery. You also are invited to visit his web site at Beauty-by-Brueck.com to learn more about almost every aspect of plastic surgery in Southwest Florida.

One of the most common medically-justified plastic surgery procedures is the eyelid lift.

A drooping upper eyelid is not only sometimes taken as a sign of fatigue, unhappiness or aging. In extreme cases, drooping upper eyelids can interfere with vision. If you can't see clearly and without obstruction when driving, you can be in a very hazardous situation.

Over the past few weeks, I have appeared on WINK-TV's American Health Journal, a nationally syndicated TV show that addresses a wide range of health and medical issue. Recently I talked about upper eyelid lifts, which I perform in my Fort Myers office.

A video of the appearance follows:



Whether or not a condition obstructs your vision or causes some other physical distress, cosmetic surgery by way of an upper eyelid lift is being seen more and more as a way to retain a youthful appearance and a confident attitude that goes with it.

It is not just a matter of vanity. It often is a matter of survival in a super-competitive labor market where decisions about who will be laid-off and who will be hired can rest on one's appearance. It may not be fair, but it is real.

As a result, I am seeing more and more patients who want to invest in their employ-ability by investing in their appearance.

If you would like to talk about it, give me a call at 239-939-5233 and we can set up a free, private and confidential consultation. There is no obligation. If you leave with nothing else, you will be wiser about your choices.

May your holidays be filled with joy and your new year overflow with prosperity and love.