Validating a Series of Photonumeric Rating Scales for Use in Facial Aesthetics Using Statistical Analysis of Intra- and Inter-rater Reliability.

Background: Growing demand for minimally invasive aesthetic procedures to correct age-related facial changes and optimize facial proportions has been met with innovation but has created an unmet need for objective assessment tools to evaluate results empirically.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to establish the intra- and inter-rater reliability of ordinal, photonumeric, 4-, or 5-point rating scales for clinical use to assess facial aesthetics.

Methods: Board-certified plastic surgeons and dermatologists (3 raters) performed live validation of jawline contour, temple volume, chin retrusion, nasolabial folds, vertical perioral lip lines, midface volume loss, lip fullness, and crow's feet dynamic- and at rest-rating scales over 2 rounds, 2 weeks apart.