Background: The improvement of aesthetic treatment options for age-related mid face changes, such as volume loss, and the increase in patient expectations necessitates the development of more-complex and globally accepted assessment tools.
Objective: To develop three grading scales for objective assessment of the infraorbital hollow and upper and lower cheek fullness and to establish the reliability of these scales for clinical research and practice.
Methods and materials: Three 5-point rating scales were developed to assess infraorbital hollow and upper and lower cheek fullness objectively. Twelve experts rated identical mid face photographs of 50 subjects in two separate rating cycles using the mid face scales. Test responses of raters were analyzed to assess intra- and interrater reliability.
Results: Interrater reliability was substantial for the infraorbital hollow, upper cheek fullness, and lower cheek fullness scales. Intrarater reliability was high for all three scales. Both of the cheek fullness scales yielded higher reliabilities when three rather than two views were used to assess the volume changes of the cheek.
Conclusion: The mid face scales are reliable tools for valid and reproducible assessment of age-related mid face changes.
© 2012 by the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, Inc. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.