A validated lip fullness grading scale.
OBJECTIVE
To develop the Lip Fullness Grading Scale for objective quantification of lip volume for a reliable assessment and to establish the reliability of this photonumeric scale for clinical research and practice.


METHODS
A 5-point photonumeric rating scale was developed to objectively quantify fullness of upper and lower lip separately. Nine experts rated photographs of 35 subjects, twice, separately for upper and lower lip. Inter- and intrarater variability was assessed by computing intraclass correlation coefficients.


RESULTS
Agreement between the experts was high. Bubble plots (bivariate scatter plots) demonstrated linearity in judgment by the experts.


CONCLUSIONS
The 5-point photonumeric scale generated spans the fullness of the upper and lower lip for which patients commonly seek correction. This scale is well stratified, with low intra- and interrater variability.
Carruthers
Alastair
A
Department of Dermatology and Skin Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. alastair@carruthers.net
Carruthers
Jean
J
Hardas
Bhushan
B
Kaur
Mandeep
M
Goertelmeyer
Roman
R
Jones
Derek
D
Rzany
Berthold
B
Cohen
Joel
J
Kerscher
Martina
M
Flynn
Timothy Corcoran
TC
Maas
Corey
C
Sattler
Gerhard
G
Gebauer
Alexander
A
Pooth
Rainer
R
McClure
Kathleen
K
Simone-Korbel
Ulli
U
Buchner
Larry
L
D004954:Esthetics / Q000145:classification*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008046:Lip / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D010781:Photography; D015203:Reproducibility of Results