Researchers have suggested that facial plastic surgery makes patients look slightly younger, but not more attractive.
The study of 37 women and 12 men, who underwent facial rejuvenation procedures like facelifts and eyelid lifts, found that though plastic surgery shaved about three years off their perceived age, it had no effect on their perceived attractiveness, ABC News reported.
The authors theorized that attractiveness is obstinately linked to perceived age. So when the patients looked younger post-surgery, their attractiveness score shifted down since they were being compared to younger people.
The authors said that as long as a person ascribes a correct age to someone else, that person will perceive the other's attractiveness with his or her assigned age in mind.
The study is published in journal JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.