Correlation Study of Subjective Clinical Evaluation and Skin Biophysical Properties in Facial Skin among Young Korean Women; Pilot Study.

Abstract

Background: Although standardized, evidence-based diagnostic tools are essential for the assessment of the efficacy of facial skin rejuvenation, aesthetic medicine has largely relied on subjective evaluations, especially in primary clinics. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of skin biophysical properties for objective assessment; however, they are not widely applied in clinical practice.

Aims: To investigate the correlation of physicians' clinical evaluations of skin hydration, skin firmness, melanin, and erythema with skin biophysical properties.

Patients/methods: Twenty Korean women with healthy skin were clinically and quantitatively evaluated. The former comprised questionnaires with 7-point scales regarding the grade of skin hydration, firmness, melanin, and erythema, completed by a dermatologist; the latter comprised measurements of conductance, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), gross elasticity (R2), dermal thickness, and melanin and erythema by another physician independently to subjective assessment.

Results: Conductance and TEWL were significantly correlated with subjective hydration scores (Spearman's 𝜌 = 0.456 and 𝜌 = -0.604, respectively). Moreover, the objectively measured melanin index demonstrated a significant positive correlation with the clinically assessed melanin severity score (𝜌 = 0.612, p < 0.01). Clinical evaluation of erythema was significantly correlated with Young's modulus (𝜌 = -0.614) and inversely correlated with dermal thickness (𝜌 = 0.781, both p < 0.01).

Conclusions: Unlike skin hydration, melanin, and erythema, skin firmness did not significantly correlate with biophysical properties. Thus, clinical evaluation is insufficient to establish treatment strategies for skin tightening in young women. Quantitative data may be an effective adjunctive diagnostic tool for patients who require subclinical interventions. This study was pilot study to explore the potential of objective measurements as adjunctive diagnostic tool in clinical setting, while some limitations include a small sample size, narrow range of age, and sex bias.