A rhinoplasty (nose job) can improve your appearance, but that’s just for starters
America is the land of self-improvement. Most of us are constantly looking for ways to get better, be it through things like education, nutrition, or fitness. This is also why so many people decide to get plastic surgery. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were 17.5 million procedures in 2017, which was an increase of 2 percent from 2016.
And the third-most common surgery (behind breast augmentations and liposuction), was rhinoplasty. Almost 219,000 people in the U.S. had some sort of nose reshaping procedure last year. But a nose job may not just make you look and feel better; according to a recent study, it could significantly change how others view you.
“Patients seeking rhinoplasty do so for just two main reasons: to improve their self-perception, in addition, to improve how others perceive them,” said Dr. Lisa E. Ishii, co-author of the study. “We wanted to measure the second one.”
The study involved 473 casual observers – mostly women with college degrees – who were asked to take a web-based survey. They were shown 13 faces of female patients before and after a rhinoplasty surgery, unaware of any surgery status. The participants were asked to estimate the age of each woman and then rate their attractiveness, success, and overall health on a scale from 1 to 100.
Are more attractive people more successful?
It may come as little surprise that the attractiveness of the women who had undergone nose jobs went up considerably, with an average increase of 14 points. But perhaps most interesting were the results related to the other two categories. The perceived levels of success and health of the women increased by 9 points and 10 points, respectively.
“While we are not suggesting that [a nose job] is actually the only way to improve one’s appearance, improving our attractiveness in addition to health as compared to others conveys a competitive advantage,” Dr. Ishii added.
This nose job study came on the heels of another study involving facelift patients. Using the same format and criteria, observers looked at images of women before and after facelifts. And again, the “after” images rated much higher in attractiveness as well as both health and success.
The importance of confidence
Dr. Ishii believes that one of the keys to being perceived as more successful is confidence, which can immediately get a boost after a surgery – and this may be especially important in the workplace.
“Patients undergoing facelifts who feel better about their own appearance have more confidence and energy to approach all aspects of their life,” she said. “They may experience tangible benefits, such as professional success based on colleagues perceiving them as more able.”
What’s the takeaway?
While these studies only used a small sample of people, the results are very positive for people considering plastic surgery.
“These findings propose that patients experience an improvement in social interactions stemming from the positive effect of rhinoplasty surgery on observer perceptions. Furthermore, these results may improve physician-patient discussions about rhinoplasty surgery by providing a reference for an optimal outcome. However, variability in surgical outcomes must be considered when establishing surgical expectations and considering the effect on social perceptions,” the study concludes.
The right procedure can improve confidence
If want to improve yourself and are thinking about a nose job or any other type of procedure, Dr. John Thomassen can help. A board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Thomassen offers both cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries, including rhinoplasties, facelifts, and breast augmentations and reductions.
Check out our gallery to see before and after pictures for many of the procedures we offer. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, you can call our office at 954-771-0200 or send us a message through our online contact form.
Share this Post