What it means for a patient
- In 2009, no questionnaire fully met standards for measuring how patients feel about facial cosmetic results.
- Only one facelift-specific questionnaire met the inclusion criteria, and it too fell short of the guidelines.
- A surgeon's satisfaction numbers depend on how they were measured. Ask what tool was used.
- The review covered English-language studies only.
Why this paper matters
It showed the gap in validated patient-reported outcome measures for facial cosmetic surgery. The authors call for a tool that meets accepted standards, to compare techniques and measure benefit in practice.
Overview
Patient satisfaction and quality of life define success in cosmetic surgery, yet few studies measure how patients see their appearance afterward. The authors searched the English-language literature for questionnaires designed to measure satisfaction or quality of life after surgical or nonsurgical facial cosmetic procedures. They checked each against international guidelines.
Findings
- 442 articles reviewed; 47 patient-reported outcome measures on facial appearance after a cosmetic procedure identified.
- 9 questionnaires met inclusion and exclusion criteria.
- Rhinoplasty: Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation, Glasgow Benefit Inventory, Facial Appearance Sorting Test.
- Skin rejuvenation: Facial Lines Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire, Skin Rejuvenation Outcomes Evaluation, Facial Lines Outcomes Questionnaire.
- Facelift: Facelift Outcomes Evaluation.
- Blepharoplasty: listed in the abstract as the Rhinoplasty Outcomes Evaluation.
- General appearance: Derriford Appearance Scale 59.
- None met all guidelines; each was limited in its development, validation or content.
Terms
- Patient-reported outcome measure (PROM): a questionnaire a patient fills in about their own results.
- Systematic review: a study that searches for and appraises all published research on a question.
- Validation: testing that a questionnaire measures what it claims to.
- Reliability: whether a questionnaire gives consistent results.
- Responsiveness: whether a questionnaire detects real change after treatment.
- Quality of life: how a condition or treatment affects daily life and well-being.
- Blepharoplasty: eyelid surgery.