A new systematic review of aesthetic flat closure surgical techniques, patient reported outcomes, and patient perspectives has just been published in the journal Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, by researchers out of Georgetown University.
The authors noted that “… there is limited comprehensive research on AFC techniques and outcomes, despite growing patient preference for this option.” They also highlighted patient’s experiences of dissatisfaction with their closures and flat denial.
They concluded that “... patient dissatisfaction often stems from inadequate surgeon support, poor communication, and suboptimal surgical outcomes,” and recommended that to improve outcomes for these patients, standardized surgical practices (aka a standard of care) should be implemented along with improved communication from doctors. They also recommended more and larger studies of patients going flat.
We couldn’t agree more! NPOAS is currently working with researchers to establish two research tools that will be used for these recommended larger studies. Stay tuned in 2026!
A big THANK YOU to Isabel A Snee, Rachel N Rohrich, Jenna C Bekeny, Ryan P Lin, Sami Ferdousian, Samer Jabbour, Lucy De La Cruz, and Kenneth L Fan for their work on this paper!
