Defining Skin Quality: Clinical Relevance, Terminology, and Assessment via Dermatologic Surgery

Background

Flawless skin is one of the most universally desired features, and demand for improvements in skin quality is growing rapidly. Skin quality has been shown to substantially impact emotional health, quality of life, self-perception, and interactions with others.

Although skin quality improvements are a common end point in studies of cosmeceuticals, they are rarely assessed in clinical studies of other aesthetic treatments and products.

Descriptive terminology for skin quality parameters also varies considerably within the aesthetic field, relying on a range of redundant and occasionally contradictory descriptors. In short, skin quality has not been clearly defined.