Can your Plastic Surgeon Guess Your Age?

A study published in late 2016 and covered here by New York Magazine found that we plastic surgeons can judge a person’s age accurately to within 10 months just by looking at a photograph. Does that shock you? Let me explain why it isn’t all that surprising to me.

The aging process is well-defined, and while it differs in men and woman and also varies by ethnicity, there are particular characteristics to look for. Much of my training for facial plastic surgery procedures such as the face lift focuses on the phases and hallmarks of the aging process. We need to be able to identify the issues before we can decide how to fix them!

The aging process includes general descent of midface, loss of youthful fullness in face and lips, deepening of tear troughs and nasolabial folds, and more. Sun damage is a significant sign as well. Some of these signs of aging most often happen before others, which can be a clue to exact age. As an illustration on social media, I did an analysis of Audrey Hepburn’s aging patterns over time on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BKtoz7agMBh/ Her pattern of aging can be considered typical.

Other factors that are not aging specific but correlate to age exist as well. A good example is weight gain. There are also some red herrings. Hair color, for example, does not help identify patient age very closely as there is wide variation in the timing of hair color change or loss in the population.

We plastic surgeons also get a lot of practice estimating age and evaluating patients for these cosmetic anti-aging treatments! The treatments that I offer generally address one or more of these specific signs of aging in a targeted manner. For example, I can rejuvenate the tear troughs with Restylane-L to address a tired, hollowed appearance or counteract descent of the mid-face through cheek augmentation with Voluma. Botox treatments as well can lift the brow, address lines and wrinkles in the forehead, ameliorate crow’s feet, and more. Lip augmentation with dermal fillers can also restore youthful volume of the lips lost over time.

Don’t be concerned that I can accurately estimate your age. My job is to recommend the right treatments to make guessing as difficult as possible!