Quality of life and self-esteem outcomes following rhytidoplasty.

To evaluate improvement in patients' quality of life and self-esteem as a result of rhytidoplasty, 32 Caucasian female patients with facial rhytidosis, aged 46 to 68, were selected consecutively from a waiting list and underwent rhytidoplasty. The widely used health evaluation tool Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, a specific tool for self-esteem assessment, were used. Evaluations were carried out preoperatively and in the second and sixth months postoperative. Significant improvements were observed in 4 out of 8 aspects evaluated through SF-36, as well as in self-esteem, 2 and 6 months after surgery. The results presented here indicate that rhytidoplasty confers substantial improvement in health status and psychologic functioning of patients by increasing both quality of life and self-esteem.