The Use of the FACE-Q Aesthetic: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Introduction In the past decade there has been an increasing interest in the field of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) which are now commonly used alongside traditional outcome measures, such as morbidity and mortality. Since the FACE-Q Aesthetic development in 2010, it has been widely used in clinical practice and research, measuring the quality of life and patient satisfaction. It quantifies the impact and change across different aspects of cosmetic facial surgery and minimally invasive treatments. We review how researchers have utilized the FACE-Q Aesthetic module to date, and aim to understand better whether and how it has enhanced our understanding and practice of aesthetic facial procedures. Methods We performed a systematic search of the literature. Publications that used the FACE-Q Aesthetic module to evaluate patient outcomes were included. Publications about the development of PROMs or modifications of the FACE-Q Aesthetic, translation or validation studies of the FACE-Q Aesthetic scales, papers not published in English, reviews, comments/discussions, or letters to the editor were excluded. Results Our search produced 1189 different articles; 70 remained after applying in- and exclusion criteria. Significant findings and associations were further explored. The need for evidence-based patient-reported outcome caused a growing uptake of the FACE-Q Aesthetic in cosmetic surgery and dermatology an increasing amount of evidence concerning facelift surgery, botulinum toxin, rhinoplasty, soft tissue fillers, scar treatments, and experimental areas. Discussion The FACE-Q Aesthetic has been used to contribute substantial evidence about the outcome from the patient perspective in cosmetic facial surgery and minimally invasive treatments. The FACE-Q Aesthetic holds great potential to improve quality of care and may fundamentally change the way we measure success in plastic surgery and dermatology. Level of Evidence III This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Applicability of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures to Aesthetic Medicine Patient Archetypes

“…It has been widely used in clinical practice and research, measuring QoL and patient satisfaction across different aspects of aesthetic medicine. 14 FACE-Q Aesthetics is a multimodule, patient-reported outcome instrument that consists of more than 40 independently functioning scales and checklists within the 4 core groups of QoL, appearance, adverse effects, and patient experience of care. 14 Each independent scale has a score, and clinicians can choose to administer scales based on the patient or treatment.…”

“…14 FACE-Q Aesthetics is a multimodule, patient-reported outcome instrument that consists of more than 40 independently functioning scales and checklists within the 4 core groups of QoL, appearance, adverse effects, and patient experience of care. 14 Each independent scale has a score, and clinicians can choose to administer scales based on the patient or treatment. Separate scales have been developed and validated for different parts of the face (e.g., nose, forehead, cheek, chin, and eyes).…”

“…A review of this scale's use in injectable studies underscores the category's diverse character because there was no single scale from the portfolio that was used consistently in most studies. 14 The prospect of creating a uniform starting point with a Motivations scale would generate a rich understanding of the evolving aesthetic patient dynamic. As the design and validation of the scales are based on the general population of facial aesthetic patients, there is room to incorporate a more robust data set that evaluates how outcomes relate to specific patient characteristics represented by the 4 archetypes.…”

Quantifying Facial Feminization Surgery’s Impact: Focus on Patient Facial Satisfaction

“…8,9 The FACE-Q instrument is a validated patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) that has become increasingly widespread in clinical and research practices to assess facial outcomes. 10 The FACE-Q has been previously used to assess selfmeasured satisfaction with facial appearance for transgender women who have not undergone FFS. 11 Although some preliminary studies have applied the FACE-Q to transgender patients, [12][13][14] no studies have directly evaluated facial satisfaction before and after receiving expanded genderaffirming facial surgery.…”

Surgery beyond bodies: Soul surgery and social surgery

“…Clearly, in surgery, as in medicine in general, there has been a move from targeting surrogate endpoints to hard endpoints, such as survival, morbidity, and functional status, and especially towards quality of life. Additionally, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have received increased attention in surgery (13)(14)(15)(16)(17) as elsewhere. Hence surgery increasingly serves what matters to people.…”