Influence of Massive Weight Loss on the Perception of Facial Age: The Facial Age Perceptions Cohort.

Abstract

Knowledge is scarce about the role of massive weight loss in facial age perception. The aim of this study was to verify whether there is a change in the perception of facial age when comparing people with morbid obesity before surgery and 1 year after the procedure. Patients with morbid obesity have been analyzed, through a prospective cohort, before and 1 year after undergoing bariatric surgery. Seven plastic surgeons estimated the age of each subject. Seventy patients participated. Five patients were excluded because of the exclusion criteria. There was no drop-off among the subjects participating in this cohort. Before surgery, the mean facial age perception was 40.8 years; after surgery, mean facial age perception was 43.7 years (95 percent CI, 0.58 to 2.95; p = 0.004). Men older than 40 years, with a preoperative body mass index between 40 and 49.9 kg/m, weight greater than 127.65 kg before surgery, and percentage of excess weight lost greater than 75.13 percent demonstrated greater perceived facial aging. Massive weight loss appears to produce facial aging. Therapeutic, IV.