A recent study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, minor facial scars do not significantly affect facial attractiveness.
Facial Scars and Appearance in Many Locations
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania created an online study to assess facial scar’s affect on attractiveness. Online users assigned ratings of self-assurance, kindness, and appeal to 50 distinct faces. Nearly 89,000 ratings from 1,800 respondents were analyzed.
In the study, facial scars did not significantly affect the perceived attractiveness of the face. On a rating of five, the average evaluation for attractiveness was 4.25 for damaged faces and 4.26 for undamaged ones. The self-esteem assessments were not statistically different; however, the evaluations of friendliness were higher for scarred faces than for unscarred ones!
In a second analysis, the researchers examined potential relationships between crucial elements plastic surgeons consider when assessing facial wounds. For example, they discovered that some scars in certain areas of the face are not visible and do not affect the appearance of such individuals. Also, the extent to which the scar was managed can determine whether it will affect the person’s look.
The findings pointed to several subtle interactions, such as how scars around the mid-lower eyelid were associated with lower ratings for kindness, confidence, and beauty—but only when they were vertical to facial lines. On the other hand, lower eyelid scars were judged to be more beautiful when they were horizontal instead of perpendicular to relaxing tension lines across the same area. The effects on evaluations were minimal, according to the study—at maximum equivalent to “roughly two percent of the overall rating value.”
How Encouraging Is the Research on Facial Scars and Appearance Ratings?
“For patients worried that incisions or facial scars might adversely influence their look or the way others see them, these results should be uplifting,” comments Dr. Sacha Obaid of North Texas Plastic Surgery. Plastic surgeons should do their best to minimize scarring both by minimizing incisions, orienting incisions in relaxed skin tension lines and aggressively treating the appearance of scars, but they should also reassure their patients that well healed small scars of the face do not diminish the overall attractiveness of the person.
