PURPOSE: to identify possible facial changes in patients undergoing aesthetic facial treatment at the Practice School of Speech Therapy and checking whether these changes were perceived by patients, other people and by audiologists, as well as checking their satisfaction as for the results. METHOD: the study included 11 women aged 40 to 50 years (average 44.5 ± 3.6 years). Exclusion criteria: women undergoing previous speech therapy treatment, aesthetic facial surgery, or neurological disorders. They were submitted to 10 therapy sessions, with isotonic and isometric exercises. Furthermore, they answered a questionnaire about perceived changes. The "before and after" pictures were analyzed by speech-language pathologist being specialists in oral motricity who identified the presence or absence of changes. In a 100mm visual analogue scale, the satisfaction score on the facial appearance after and before treatment was flagged. RESULTS: all patients (100%) have perceived facial changes: eye and lips wrinkles' reduction as well as nasolabial furrow, more defined lips, youthful and shining skin, and mitigation of wrinkle expressions (90.91%). The others have referred the following changes (45.45%): reduction of undereyes' shadows, youthful and shining skin. The specialists have not found agreement, although they have realized changes in greater or lesser degree in the majority of the variables analyzed. The average degree of facial appearance satisfaction increased from 46.18 to 82.09 (p=0.05). CONCLUSION: speech treatment has proportioned facial changes which were noted by the patients, by others and by the specialists. The patients have shown more satisfaction with their faces' aesthetic aspects after the speech treatment.
Language, Speech and Hearing Science; Esthetics; Face