Rhinoplasty Preferences: Can the Public Detect Prior Surgery on Social Media?

Background

The creation of postoperative rhinoplasty results that appear natural and proportional to the face are crucial for patient satisfaction. The purpose of this study was to assess the public’s ability to detect a post-rhinoplasty result and preference of preoperative and postoperative rhinoplasty outcomes.

Methods

A survey was distributed using the Amazon Mechanical Turk online platform showing nine preoperative and postoperative rhinoplasty patients. Participants rated aesthetic appearance, identified areas of abnormality, and stated whether they believed the patient had undergone prior rhinoplasty.

Results

A total of 456 responses were included. On a scale of 1–5 with 5 being the most aesthetically pleasing, the highest rated nose was a postoperative patient without visible deformities (3.95, SD 1.07) followed by the postoperative patient with a resultant bulbous tip (3.48, SD 0.96). The lowest ranking noses were the prior rhinoplasty with resultant saddle nose deformity (3.02, SD 1.19) and the prior rhinoplasty with nasal trapezoid deformity (2.95, SD 1.04). The public was able to correctly determine if patients had prior rhinoplasty surgery only if there were resultant defects. When respondents believed that the patient had undergone prior rhinoplasty, their average rating was lower than those who believed they had not undergone surgery (3.74/5 vs. 4.15/5, p < 0.0001).

Conclusions

The belief that someone had previously undergone rhinoplasty led the public to rate the aesthetic appearance of the nose lower. To provide optimal results following rhinoplasty, surgeons may therefore seek to provide a natural, “un-operated” look.

Level of Evidence IV

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Differences for nasal aesthetic preferences exist and vary based on geographic region

The public is unable to discern if a patient previously underwent rhinoplasty if the result does not show a postoperative defect, such as a dorsal hump, over-rotated tip, or mid-vault collapse

Oppositely, the public can generally tell if patients have undergone rhinoplasty surgery if a postoperative deformity is present

The belief that someone had rhinoplasty surgery negatively impacts the attractiveness ranking of the nose, even without any postoperative defects present