Individuals having had a facelift do indeed live longer than those who have not. This is a true statement. It just happens to be meaningless.
Consider this:
- Facelift patients, having made it to the facelift age, have avoided early death from illness or trauma.
- Facelift patients are in reasonably good health since they are having elective cosmetic surgery.
- Facelift patients are financially well off (they can afford a facelift) so probably have invested in their own good health.
What this means is that facelift patients are a select group in large part because of the circumstances just mentioned. The fact that they proceed with a facelift has nothing to do with longevity – it’s coincidental. It would be valid to compare their longevity to a cohort of similar persons who choose not to proceed with a facelift. Comparing to the general population is invalid.
The claim “facelift patients live longer than average” is true. However, it is misleading because it implies, but does not state, that the act of having a facelift extends longevity. This is a form of false advertising but it goes on all the time.
Why do I spend a blog on this somewhat absurd topic? These types of associations are often made when pushing some good or service particularly my business. It’s also practiced in pop science. Think about the many meaningless associations between random meteorologic events and climate change. (I’m not arguing against climate change just the pseudo-science often used to support the argument)
The wise consumer needs to question the causality of a proclaimed association. What could a facelift actually do to make one live longer? I can’t think of anything and I’m a plastic surgeon. If it doesn’t pass the sniff test, it’s probably bunk.
