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.
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. Cited 144 times (NIH iCite, 2026-09-25).
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.