Facial Plastic Surgery Patients Are More Likeable

New research in the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery suggests plastic surgery patients have more to gain than an improved appearance. In addition to a youthful esthetic boost, patients who undergo facial rejuvenation procedures—a facelift, a blepharoplasty, an eyebrow lift, a neck lift, and a chin implant—are perceived as more likeable, more feminine, and more socially skilled. Michael J. Reilly, M.D., performed a retrospective evaluation of preoperative and postoperative photos of 30 caucasian female patients who underwent facial rejuvenation surgery between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2013. Researchers divided photos into six groups of five preoperative and five postoperative photos (keeping patients’ preop and post-op photos separated). The photos were then evaluated for six personality traits: aggressiveness, extroversion, likeability, trustworthiness, risk seeking, and social skills, as well as for attractiveness and femininity, by another group unaware of the research design. The researchers found that likeability, social skills, attractiveness, and feminity showed statistically significant improvement after comparing preop and post-op scores, while the other traits showed no change.