Get a 'Nose Job,’ and You May Look Younger
By People who get a “nose job” not only typically reduce the size of their beak. Many who undergo the common procedure appear to reduce their age as well, a new study finds.
Having rhinoplasty – the technical term for the cosmetic procedure – could shave as much as 1.5 years from a person’s perceived age, according to Dr. Ali Sepehr and colleagues who carried out the study at the University of Toronto.
Nose jobs can cost up to $25,000 and are performed for a variety of reasons -- to repair an injury or deformity, or to make the proboscis more attractive. But for some people, researchers said, changes brought by age can affect the nose’s appearance, which may be why some people who have rhinoplasty appear younger afterward.
To reach their conclusions, researchers surveyed 50 people’s responses to before-and-after photos of 53 patients who underwent nose jobs. When asked to estimate the ages of the patients, the individuals surveyed said those who had undergone a nose job looked an average of 1.5 years younger.
Older patients appeared to look even younger after the procedure, according to the study.
"The rejuvenating effect of rhinoplasty can now objectively be listed as one of the benefits of undergoing this procedure," the researchers wrote in their study, published in the journal Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery.
Rhinoplasty is one of the most common plastic surgery procedures. It can be used to reduce or increase the size of the nose, change the shape of the tip or the nasal bridge, narrow the opening of the nostrils, correct a birth defect or injury, or help relieve breathing problems.
It can be performed under local or general anesthesia, depending on the procedure and the patient's preference. It can be performed in a surgeon's office, a hospital, or an outpatient surgery center. Complex procedures may require a short hospital stay. The procedure usually takes less than two hours, but may take longer.