Rhinoplasty, or cosmetic nose surgery, may make a woman look up to three years younger, according to a study that used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse pictures of women who went under the knife.
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in the US analysed the before-and-after photos of 100 female patients, aged 16 to 72, all of whom underwent rhinoplasty for cosmetic reasons.
At 12 or more weeks later, standardised photographs were analysed using AI, which estimates a person's age by cropping the face from a photograph, and then extracting a prediction through an algorithm.
"Rhinoplasty is widely recognised as a facial beautification procedure, but it isn't commonly known for its anti-ageing effects," said Robert Dorfman, lead author of the study published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal.
Rhinoplasty involves making structural changes to the bone, and cartilage through small incisions inside the nose, and when necessary around the nostril, all while a patient is under general anaesthesia.
The rhinoplasty procedures in the study were customised for each patient to fit the person's face best.
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Until now, Dorfman said, there has been little to no objective scientific evidence for the rejuvenating effect of rhinoplasty.
"This technology allows us to accurately estimate age in an objective way, and has proven to recognise patterns and features of ageing beyond what the human eye can perceive," he said.
The results were even more dramatic in women over 40, some of whom were estimated to look seven years younger after rhinoplasty.
However, because the sample size of the 40-plus group was small (25 women), the researchers said further studies need to be done to validate the results.
The nose is not usually a focus of anti-ageing treatment.
However, like other features of the body, the human nose, which is made up of soft tissue, cartilage and bone, also ages.
"The nose loses support as it ages and can take on a more prominent or droopy appearance," said Jason Roostaeian, an associate clinical professor at UCLA.
The researchers noted that the nose is also affected when other features of the face age.
"When we lose facial fat and volume in our cheeks, which are the canvas that our nose sits on, the nose becomes more prominent," Roostaeian said.
By refining the nose, he said, the youthful appearance of the entire face can be refined.
"This is something we have subjectively thought for many decades but now we have objective evidence through artificial intelligence to support this," he said.