Assessment of Pain and Satisfaction After Orofacial Harmonization Procedures

This long-term study assessed satisfaction and pain levels following facial aesthetic procedures. The study also aimed to correlate expectations, and psychological and social well-being immediately and after one month, describe perceived age, and assess differences in satisfaction between injectable fillers and other Orofacial Harmonization procedures such as hyaluronic acid treatments (for dark circles, nasolabial fold lips, malar, jaw), botulinum toxin injections, enzymatic lipolysis of the double chin, micro-needling, and PDO threads.

Data were collected immediately after the procedures and then again 30 days later. Among the participants, 159 (92.4%) were females and 13 (7.6%) were males, who completed FACE-Q questionnaires addressing perceived age, expectations, psychological and social well-being, satisfaction, and facial appearance, as well as the visual pain scale.

The average age of the patients treated in the Dental Clinics in Brazil was 40.4 years (SD± 12.7), with 48.8% of participants perceiving themselves as older immediately after the procedures, decreasing to 47.7% after 30 days, and pain intensity was reported as low. The total number of Orofacial Harmonization procedures performed was 256. Satisfaction after 30 days was high, especially among those who received fillers. The psychological and social function scales were positively correlated with satisfaction with the decision, result, and appearance scales. Fillers showed a significant improvement in perceived age appearance, with half of the patients feeling younger after 30 days. The patients exhibited high satisfaction levels in one-month post-aesthetic orofacial harmonization procedures. Despite initially high expectations, patients reported enhanced psychological and social well-being, along with minimal pain during interventions CONCLUSION: Positive correlations were observed between satisfaction, decision-making, result perception, and appearance. Injectable fillers notably improved perceived aging, with a significant portion of patients initially perceiving themselves as older than their actual age, but later feeling younger post-procedure. Fillers also yielded superior satisfaction and pain relief compared to alternative interventions.

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