Having a face-lift DOESN'T always boost self-esteem - even if you look a decade younger

  • Study reveals how complex the reaction to a change in appearance can be
  • Many patients also have expectations that may be too high, doctors say
  • This means they are left disappointed even if the procedure goes very well

By Sophie Borland Health Correspondent for the Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

Having spent thousands of pounds going under the knife, you would hope to feel more confident.

But researchers claim that having a face-lift doesn’t necessarily boost your self-esteem.

They found that even women and men who looked nine years younger after the surgery didn’t necessarily feel more confident.

The scientists from New York say their findings show just how complex the psychological reaction to the change in appearance can be.

No guarantee: Researchers found even women and men who looked nine years younger after a face-lift didn't necessarily feel more confident

No guarantee: Researchers found even women and men who looked nine years younger after a face-lift didn't necessarily feel more confident

Experts also say many patients have such high expectations that even if the procedure goes very well, they are left feeling very disappointed and depressed.

Dr Andrew Jacono, of the New York Centre for Plastic and Laser Surgery, looked at 59 women and men who had a face-lift with the same surgeon in 2013.

They all completed a ten-part questionnaire to measure their self-esteem before and after the operation.

Patients were asked whether they strongly agreed or disagreed with statements such as ‘I certainly feel useless’ and ‘I feel I am a person with worth.’

Each adult was then given a score from 0 to 30 based on their answers, with a higher number representing higher self-esteem.

But researchers found that almost a third of patients - 30 per cent - had a lower self-esteem after the operation and a further fifth - 22 per cent - experienced no change at all.

Fewer than half (48 per cent) felt more confident.

This was despite the fact the patients all believed they looked an average of 8.9 years younger after the operation.

Unhappy: Experts say many patients have such high expectations that even if the procedure goes very well, they are left feeling disappointed and depressed

Unhappy: Experts say many patients have such high expectations that even if the procedure goes very well, they are left feeling disappointed and depressed

Dr Jacono, whose study is published in the journal JAMA, Facial Plastic Surgery, said: ‘These findings underscore the complex nature of the human psyche as it relates to aesthetic surgery and demonstrates that patients exhibit a wide spectrum of psychological reactions after face-lift surgery.’

Dr Tatiana Dixon, of the Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Illinois, Chicago, said some face-lifts made women look more masculine.

She also said surgeons needed to be aware of patients’ different ethnicities and cultures.

Face-lifts cost an average of £5,000 and around 6,000 are carried out in Britain each year.

More than 90 per cent are performed on women and they tend to be in their 50s and 60s.

But there is some evidence they create feelings of self-loathing, anxiety and depression

Some people have such high expectations, that even if they have a procedure that is technically very good they are extremely disappointed. 

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