How Many Years Will A Face Lift Shave Off?

If you're considering a facelift or other cosmetic surgery for a more youthful look, a new study may help you determine by just how many years the surgeon may reverse the clock. Turns out, it's less than you may think. The study, which was published online Monday in the journal Archive of Facial Plastic Surgery, was designed to help patients better understand what to expect before going under the knife. On average, patients trimmed back 7.2 years from their face, depending on how much work they had done.
According to the study, a facelift or necklift can wipe away 5.7 years, while those who get their eyelids done wipe away two years. Include a forehead lift in the mix and you can shave off a total of 8.4 years.

The goal of the study was to find an "objective measure" for patients by asking 40 medical students to guess the ages of cosmetic surgery patients, mostly women ages 45 to 72, in before-and-after photos.

There were 13.8 million cosmetic procedures done in 2011.  That number is expected to grow in 2012.