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-- WITH PHOTO -- TO NATIONAL EDITORS:
Measuring Outcomes In Facial Rejuvenation No Longer Exclusively
Subjective
SAN FRANCISCO, April 26, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A panel of
plastic surgeons at the annual Aesthetic Meeting in San Francisco of
the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), today
presented a variety of measures and methodologies to better gauge
patient outcomes and satisfaction in a more objective manner than ever
before realized. In an effort to steer-clear of opinion or subjective
evaluations, plastic surgeons have come together to identify practical
and logical means to evaluate the more objective results of various
facial rejuvenation procedures.
"It almost goes without saying that beauty, being in the eye of the
beholder, has always been a matter of preference and opinion," states
Al Aly, MD. "But as a group of surgeons who strive to achieve optimal
results and continually search to improve patient outcomes and
satisfaction, we had to ask ourselves why we couldn't come up with
some means of measuring the results of facial rejuvenation procedures
objectively," he continued.
The doctors have examined patient satisfaction in a fairly simple
manner for years -- Is the patient happy with their results, or not?
Is the surgeon happy with what they were able to provide to their
patient and were they happy with their own results? While all of this
information is important, it is entirely subjective and the bigger
question remains: Can surgeons evaluate their results based on more
objective measures of attractiveness?
When you factor in personal preference and perception you create
another obstacle in terms of finding a less subjective means to
evaluating outcomes. Not every plastic surgeon would agree on other
surgeon's results. One might find something attractive whereas another
would feel they could've done a better job - so who is to say? Both
surgeons could recognize change - but determining whether it is
positive change is another issue.
This raises the question of how humans determine attractiveness. Until
recently, plastic surgeons had very little information on this subject
and have looked to evolutionary psychology as guidance. Plastic
surgeons have discovered that humans are, for the most part,
Koinophiles. Koinophilia, a term first used by biologist Johan
Koeslag, refers to sexual creatures who, when seeking a mate, have a
preference for those who do not have any unusual, peculiar or deviant
features. In essence, humans, as sexual creatures prefer the common -
the average. That is, for them, what defines attractiveness. When you
examine the specific physical facial characteristics of certain
individuals and evaluate the distance between someone's eyes or their
lip-to-nose ratio for example, you will find that those who the
majority of people deem attractive fall into the middle in terms of
measurements.
Further, we are all what can be classified as cognitive averagers. We,
on a daily basis, take in other people's faces. We see them on
television, in the street, at work - and what we haven't fully
recognized is that our brains are wired to constantly re-assess our
perception of beauty based on the overall average of what we see every
day. "This is among the reasons why fashions change and trends change.
It is the work of our cumulative cognitive averaging that ultimately
creates the next definition of attractiveness. It is ever-changing,
but it is almost always based on averaging," explained Dr. Aly.
Dr. Aly has been examining his own patients and their results for
quite some time and has discovered that while there may be an obvious
difference between pre-and post-op, change didn't always necessarily
translate to improvement. This in and of itself requires doctors to
carefully consider what is perceived as 'normal' on average and
therefore most attractive. Are doctors merely creating change, or are
they creating what can be defined, (either subjectively or
objectively), as attractive?
The panelists agree. There is clearly a paradigm shift taking place
respecting how to evaluate patient outcomes in facial rejuvenation.
James Grotting, MD, has been utilizing a new tool in his own practice
to assess the outcomes of facial aesthetic surgery, in an effort to
continually improve what he is doing and the results both he and his
patients see. Andrea Pusic, MD, Associate Professor at Cornell
University created a questionnaire/survey tool, the "Face-Q", to
enable surgeons to better understand the impact facial aesthetic
treatments may have on a patient's quality of life. To date, more than
1,000 Face-Q questionnaires have been completed, and Face-Q is
available to any surgeons who wish to use it.
Dr. Grotting today presented his findings from the results of a
250-facelift patient satisfaction survey along with a study of nearly
50 of his patients utilizing the Face-Q survey. Findings revealed that
patients are not only satisfied, but that their quality of life
improves. A patient's social confidence and psychological well-being
improves post-op, including the manners by which they interact with
the world and how they feel about themselves. Grotting asked his own
patients who participated how much younger they felt they looked and
how long they felt their results lasted, one year post-op.
"The Face-Q is a welcome addition to my practice," explained Dr.
Grotting. "It is targeted and the questions are relevant to particular
patients, procedures and surgeons and can be used by researchers and
clinicians. It is a benefit and a service to the plastic surgery
community," he continued. "From using Dr. Pusic's tool, I have
learned things about my own procedures that I would not necessarily
have noticed otherwise. I have learned things about my patients
including their social function and how they feel in relationships
with friends and family - all of which are tied into their surgical
outcomes," Grotting explained.
Foad Nahai, MD, moderator of the panel explained, "We have always felt
that objective evaluation was probably an elusive goal and that
ultimately, success was measured by the patient - but now there are
measures to determine if a procedure met the patient's expectations.
Did it change their outlook? Did it change the areas they were
concerned about? As the subspecialty of aesthetic plastic surgery
evolves, we are developing key analyses and tools to improve outcomes
in novel ways."
About ASAPS The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
(ASAPS), is recognized as the world's leading organization devoted
entirely to aesthetic plastic surgery and cosmetic medicine of the
face and body. ASAPS is comprised of over 2,600 Plastic Surgeons;
Active Members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery
(USA) or by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and
have extensive training in the complete spectrum of surgical and
non-surgical aesthetic procedures. International Active Members are
certified by equivalent boards of their respective countries. All
members worldwide adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and must meet
stringent membership requirements.
Website: www.surgery.org Follow ASAPS on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/ASAPS Become a fan of ASAPS on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/AestheticSociety Locate a plastic surgeon in your
area : http://www.smartbeautyguide.com/select-surgeon
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140226/DC72077LOGO
SOURCE American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
-0- 04/26/2014
/CONTACT: Leigh Hope Fountain or Gloria Gasaatura: 415-978-3500, leigh@surgery.org or gloria@surgery.org
/Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140226/DC72077LOGO
/Web Site: http://www.surgery.org
CO: American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
ST: California
IN: CPC MTC
SU: SVY
PRN
-- DC10577 --
0000 04/26/2014 17:00:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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