Yes, it does apparently. That’s official, according to one Canadian doctor who said that his patients look on average 7.2 years younger after treatment.

However, his assertion has also been backed up by research, which has been trying to determine whether cosmetic treatment does affect an individual’s perceived age. One researcher said that generally cosmetic surgeons tell their patients that treatment will make them look more youthful, but since this is just a term not an actual measurement, it is not considered scientifically helpful.

It’s for this reason why researchers have been looking for a more objective term to describe the ‘youthful appearance’ after treatment, which is more subjective and client-oriented.

In order to find this out Canadian scientists asked a group of 40 medical students to rate pictures of men and women. All had had cosmetic treatment including facelifts, neck lifts, eyelid and forehead surgery.

The photographs used were divided into before and after surgery, while the students were asked to estimate ages. The results showed that after surgery, the estimated age was 1.7 years younger than the real age, while the after surgery estimate was a massive 8.9 years lower than the real chronological age.

Speaking with reporters one of the researchers said: “Our results show a modest but significant reduction in perceived age after aesthetic facial surgery.

“Although motivations for aesthetic surgery may vary, a prevailing concept includes the desire to achieve a more youthful appearance while maintaining one’s unique attributes and identifying characteristics.

“Given these expectations, a mean 7.2-year reduction in perceived age is indeed consistent with this goal.”