Measuring outcomes in facial plastic surgery: a decade of progress

To describe contemporary interpretations of 'outcomes research' in facial plastic surgery and to summarize and evaluate some of the existing validated outcome measures for use in facial plastic surgery.

Outcome measures can be broadly categorized into two categories - patient-reported and clinical efficacy measures (observer-based or objective). Over the last decade, there has been influx of validated outcome measures, though the rigor of validation varies widely, with formal validation being most common among the patient-reported outcome measures. Twenty-two validated patient-reported measures relevant to facial plastic surgery are available to date. Observer-based measures for wound healing and facial wrinkling are presented as examples of the evolving rigor of validation for clinical efficacy measures.

Validated outcome measures are present for many common facial plastic surgery conditions and have become more prevalent over the past decade, especially for patient-reported outcomes. Challenges remain in harmonizing patient-reported and clinical efficacy measures to produce standardized, clinically meaningful outcome measures.