Facial plastic surgery may do more than make you look youthful, it could also change how people perceive you, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Georgetown University found that women who have certain procedures are perceived as having greater social skills and are more likeable, attractive and feminine. According to the study, the importance of facial appearance is rooted in evolution and studies suggest that judging a person based on his or her appearance boils down to survival.

"Our animal instinct tells us to avoid those who are ill-willed and we know from previous research that personality traits are drawn from an individual's neutral expressions," researcher Michael J. Reilly said in a statement.

For the study, Reilly and his colleagues set out to evaluate and quantify the changes in personality perception that occur after various types of facial rejuvenation surgery, including face lift, upper and lower eye lifts, brow lift, neck lift and/or chin implant.

The study involved pre- and postoperative photos of 30 white women and included survey responses from 170 people. Respondents were asked to rate their perception of attractiveness and femininity, and personality traits (extroversion, likeability, social skills, risk-seeking behavior, aggressiveness and trustworthiness) of each picture they reviewed. No reviewer saw both the before and after photos of the same woman, and no one knew whether plastic surgery had been performed.

Post-surgery improvement was detected for four traits: social skills, likeability, attractiveness and femininity. While not statistically significant, a trend toward trustworthiness also was seen.

"Having a facelift and lower eye lift were the two procedures that appeared to garner more favorable reviews after surgery, with the lower eye lift carrying a little more weight," Reilly observed.

An earlier psychological study showed that the eyes are highly diagnostic for attractiveness as well as for trustworthiness.

"This may explain why the patients who had a lower eyelift were found to be significantly more attractive and feminine, and experienced improved trustworthiness scores," Reilly said.

The study, which is detailed in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, was small and included only white female participants, potentially limiting its application for others