Changes in patient-reported satisfaction and quality-of-life 6 months after rhinoplasty

Background Rhinoplasty is a challenging and demanding procedure in plastic surgery. To obtain surgical success, patient satisfaction, and quality-of-life are important outcomes. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate patient-reported satisfaction with appearance, treatment, and decision outcomes as well as quality-of-life after rhinoplasty using validated questionnaires. The role of patient demographics on outcomes was also studied. Methods Patients who underwent a primary rhinoplasty were selected for this cohort study. Patient-reported satisfaction with appearance, treatment, and decision as well as quality-of-life were evaluated with the Utrecht Questionnaire and FACE-Q at intake and six months postoperatively. Results Overall, 380 patients were included. Patients reported a more positive subjective perception of nasal appearance (VAS score) at six months post-surgery in comparison to preoperative scores (7.9±1.6 vs 3.2±1.4, p<0.05). Furthermore, a higher quality-of-life and body image was observed at six months postoperatively compared to preoperative scores (7.7±3.5 vs 15.2±4.4, p<0.05). Patients reported high satisfaction with treatment outcome (70.3±23.4) as well as with their decision (75.9±23.4) on a scale of 0-100 at six months postoperatively. Patients reached similar postoperative scores regardless of their intake scores. Patients ≥30 years and patients with a history of cosmetic surgery were less satisfied postoperatively. Conclusion Despite differences in appearance satisfaction at intake, most patients showed greater satisfaction with appearance, treatment, and decision outcomes as well as quality-of-life six months postoperatively. However, older age and a history of cosmetic surgery can influence these outcomes negatively. These factors can be used during preoperative management of outcome expectations.