LAS VEGAS A simple survey can provide physicians with a sense of patient satisfaction after cosmetic procedures, Dr. Jarl Bunæs said at an international symposium sponsored by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
As the operator of the oldest facial plastic surgery clinic in Norway (Klinikk Bunæs in Sandvika), each year he performs approximately 1,500 surgical procedures. He sent a questionnaire that he designed to 100 consecutive patients who had undergone cosmetic procedures at least 1 year earlier. Of the 84 patients who responded, 62 (74%) were women; the mean age was 42 years (ranging from 18 to 68), said Dr. Bunæs.
Asked to rate their satisfaction with the procedure's results on a visual analog scale of 110 (with 10 being the best), patients reported a mean score of 8. They also rated their overall quality of life after the procedure as 8.
Seventy-one patients (84%) said the cosmetic problem that was treated had lowered their self-esteem before the procedure, and 71 patients said their self-esteem improved after treatment.