Surgical or Nonsurgical Facial Rejuvenation: The Patients’ Choice

BACKGROUND: Patients seeking a pan-facial rejuvenation may not receive appropriate medical advice on surgical versus nonsurgical treatments, resulting in those who are best-suited for surgery receiving nonsurgical options, and vice versa. Patients who requested total-face, nonsurgical revitalization were surveyed to understand the factors influencing this decision-making. METHODS: Patients consulting for total facial rejuvenation were surveyed on their reasons for seeking nonsurgical versus surgical interventions by an investigator with 30 years of plastic surgery experience, practicing in a nonsurgical clinic alongside a dermatologist and aesthetic physician. RESULTS: Of the 92 patients surveyed, 78% completed the survey, 47% of whom had considered facelift surgery, and 14% of whom proceeded to inquiries or consultations with a plastic surgeon about facelift surgery. All respondents were women, and age was not an exclusion factor. Forty-four percent would still consider facelifts in later life. Among the most common reasons for choosing nonsurgical approaches were a desire for natural and subtle results, cost, having flexibility in treatment choice, concerns about surgical and anesthesia risks, downtime, the ability to distribute treatments over time, and scarring. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients book nonsurgical treatments without prior professional advice, and consider these as a temporary solution, but may desire surgery later in life. Before conducting nonsurgical treatments, doctors should identify this group and avoid interventions that may interfere with optimal surgical outcomes later. Also, some patients desire surgical outcomes when surgery is not a feasible option, and thus seek nonsurgical alternatives. For this group, realistic goals must be set before treatment to avoid disappointment.