Facial perception, self-esteem and psychosocial well-being in patients after nasal surgery due to trauma, cancer and aesthetic needs (cluster analysis of multiple interrelations)

Abstract

Background: Facial anthropometric measurements in relation to self-esteem and self-perception have become a very popular topic, not only in anthropological and psychological research, but also in plastic reconstructive surgery.

Aim: To compare the interrelations between facial perception, self-esteem and psychosocial well-being in patients after nasal surgery due to trauma, cancer and aesthetic needs.

Subjects and methods: In total, ninety patients after nasal surgery (due to trauma, cancer and aesthetic reasons), and thirty control persons underwent facial anthropometry and answered questions related to facial perception (FP), self-esteem (SE) and psychosocial well-being (PW). Cluster analysis was performed.

Results: Facial measurements were not related to the perception of the whole face in all investigated persons. The whole face and nasal perception were interrelated in the majority of male groups and in the control female group. SE in females from the control and cancer groups was not related to real facial parameters or FP, however, in females after aesthetic surgery it was related to nasal tip protrusion. SE in females after nasal surgery due to trauma was strongly related to FP. SE in almost all groups of males was related to real facial parameters, and in males after aesthetic surgery it was related to FP. PW was mostly linked to SE in males and females after aesthetic surgery, in other groups it was related to FP.

Conclusions: FP was most frequently not related to real facial measurements; however, it was related to PW. Patients after aesthetic nasal surgery had specific relations between FP, SE and PW.

Keywords:

• Nasal surgery
• facial perception
• self-esteem
• psychosocial well-being
• facial anthropometry

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.