A study of 93 facelift patients found them to be very satisfied with the results of their surgery: 96.7 percent reported a more youthful appearance and they felt the procedure shaved 11.9 years off their age, on average.

The study also found that after surgery:

• 82 percent said they had an improvement in self-esteem
• 69.6 percent reported their quality of life improved

The study’s author Dr. Eric Swanson writes that patient satisfaction and the effects of surgery on quality of life are two of the most important factors in determining if a surgery is a success, but they had not been previously prospectively studied in patients undergoing facelifts alone or in combination with other facial rejuvenation procedures.

Swanson conducted interviews with the patients (mean age of 56.6 years)  one month after surgery; the patients had a deep plane facelift alone or a facelift and another facial rejuvenation surgery, such as eyelid surgery, forehead lift or endoscopic forehead lift. Other commonly performed procedures done at the time of the facelift included laser resurfacing, fat injection and chin augmentation.

Despite the substantial recovery time the patients reported for facelifts, the majority of patients (83.9 percent) said they would have the surgery again, and 93.5 percent said they would recommend the surgery to someone else.

Dr. Swanson concludes, “With proper patient preparation and education, facial rejuvenation effectively meets patient expectations. These findings support the recommendation of surgical facial rejuvenation to patients who wish to look younger.”

The study will appear in the next Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery journal and the study’s abstract is available online.