Men Who Undergo Facial Plastic Surgery are More Attractive and Trustworthy

Highlights:

• Men who have undergone plastic surgery on their face are more attractive, reliable, likable and friendly by others in the society
• More men in the US (15-20%) are opting for cosmetic surgery. Therefore, understanding public perception helps to give better patient outcomes.
• Better understanding of the impact of various facial plastic surgical procedures may help patients and doctors in changing public opinion or perception about a person’s personality

Men who have undergone cosmetic surgery plastic surgery on their face appear more attractive, reliable, likable and friendly by others in society according to a recent study at Georgetown University Medical Center to find out how the public and society at large perceived men who have opted for cosmetic surgery. The findings of the study appear in the journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

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Analyzing Public Perceptions About Men After Facial Cosmetic Surgery

The study was undertaken by the senior investigator, Michael J. Reilly, MD, an associate professor of otolaryngology at Georgetown's School of Medicine and plastic surgeon along with another Georgetown plastic surgeon, Steven P. Davison, MD, who is also the study co-author.

• During the study, 24 men had facial cosmetic surgery by one of the above two surgeons
• The various procedures done included face-lift, brow-lift, neck-lift, nose reshaping (rhinoplasty), upper eyelid lift (upper blepharoplasty), reduction of lower eyelids (lower blepharoplasty), and/or a chin implant
• All the participants paid for their own surgery, and consented to the use of their photographs taken before and after the procedure for research purposes.
• Six surveys each of which including eight photographs (4 before surgery, 4 after surgery were conducted. No survey contained both pictures of the same person (i.e. before and after)
• The photographs were seen and reviewed by over 150 participants (mostly white, between 25-34 years having a college degree) without knowing the reason for the survey. They were required to grade their opinion of each patient's personality characteristics such as likability, risk-taking, sociability, aggressiveness, reliability, and physical traits such as attractiveness and masculinity.
• The study team designed a complex model to determine the perceptions of the survey takers to a specific surgical procedure, for example, rhinoplasty (nose job), while hiding other facial procedures that may have been done

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Key Findings of the Study

• The team found that chin lift was the only operation that had no effect on perceived attractiveness, personality or masculinity (perhaps because very few patients opted for this operation)
• The perceived effects on the patient’s personality for various cosmetic facial procedures included the following
• Brow-lift -- more risk-taking nature and being extroverted
• Face-lift -- increased reliability and likability
• Upper eyelid lift -- increased likability and reliability
• Lower eyelid reduction-- Less risk-taking
• Neck-lift –perceived as being more masculine and extroverted
• Nose – more attractive

The findings of the study suggest that cosmetic facial surgery in men enhances public perception about their persona, with significant difference seen in their attractiveness, social skills, likable nature and reliability but not significant differences changes in perception of masculinity.

In contrast, a study of similar facial cosmetic surgery impact on society in women in 2015 demonstrated a significant rise in society’s perception of their femininity following the procedure.

Michael J. Reilly said: "Taken together, our findings suggest that both men and women undergoing facial cosmetic surgery can experience not only improved perception of attractiveness, but other positive changes in society's perception of their persona."

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Cosmetic Surgery is No Longer Only for Women

Men are increasingly becoming more concerned about their appearance and personality and are opting to have cosmetic procedures done to change something they don’t like when looking into the mirror.

In the past decade, there has been an exponential rise in men having cosmetic surgeries in the US than ever before. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) statistics reveal that, over 1.3 million men went under the knife to alter their appearance in 2017 alone. They account for about 15-20% of the cosmetic surgery market in the US.

Facial features considered desirable in males include prominent cheekbones and chin, and a square jaw and prominent chin, while women like softer facial contours, round cheeks, bigger smile and large, wide eyes. The reasons for the sudden surge may be many including wanting to appear younger, seem more confident or even the pressure of social media.

Scope of the Study

Understanding the public perception of men’s personality and attractiveness following facial cosmetic surgery will help patients and doctors alike to optimize the outcome of the procedure.

In summary, men undergoing cosmetic surgery are perceived to have improved personality traits such as being likable, friendly, trustworthy and attractive.

References:

1. Evaluation of Personality Perception in Men Before and After Facial Cosmetic Surgery - (http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jamafacial.2019.0463)

Source-Medindia