While most women choose to pursue plastic surgery for personal reasons, it appears the positive effects of those procedures may be more far-reaching than first thought. A new study has found that plastic surgery designed to make a person look younger and more refreshed can also increase their likeability factor with others. In addition to improving your appearance, results of plastic surgery may also change how others perceive your personality as well.
Before and After
The study, which was published in the April issue of the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, surveyed more than 170 participants that viewed before and after photos of 30 plastic surgery patients. Photos were mixed into different groupings and none of the participants saw both before and after photos of the same individual. All of the photos were of Caucasian women that underwent facial rejuvenation procedures like eyelid surgery, brow lifts, facelifts and facial implants.
Traits Impacted by Plastic Surgery
After viewing the photos, participants were asked to rate the women in the photos on eight different traits to determine their social skills and attraction. The women scored higher after surgery in likeability, social skills, femininity and attractiveness. Trustworthiness was also rated slightly higher after plastic surgery, but the results were less statistically significant than the other four traits listed.
Some of the women were rated higher for aggressiveness and risk-taking after their plastic surgery. Four of the women rated higher before their procedure than after. None of these results were statistically significant, according to the researchers conducting the study. Facelifts and eyelid surgery appeared to be the two procedures that received the most positive response from study participants.
“Our faces are conveying these traits, even when we are not intending to,” Michael J. Reilly, assistant professor of facial reconstructive surgery at Georgetown University School of Medicine and co-author of the study, told the Washington Post. “All of our faces do this all of the time, but some of our faces are more prone to expressing an emotion.”
Is Plastic Surgery Right for You?
Plastic surgery is a highly personal decision that should be made between a patient and plastic surgeon. At Dr. Andrews Plastic, Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Kahlil Andrews works with each patient to determine the procedure that will best meet their aesthetic goals. He also strives to understand the reason behind the desire for plastic surgery, to ensure every patient that comes into his office for a procedure leaves with a strong sense of self-confidence and satisfaction with the procedure they chose. To learn more about your options in plastic surgery in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, contact Dr. Andrews Plastic, Cosmetic & Reconstructive Surgery at 319-800-6877.
