The following is a summary of “Assessing Adult Patients with Facial Deformities for Injectable Treatment: Do Current Classification Systems and Methodologies Meet Important Patient Needs?” published in the November 2022 issue of Dermatologic Surgery by Chantrey et al.
Facial abnormalities impact a sizable population. Injectable cosmetic treatments are typically used to enhance dynamic function and/or appearance. However, universally applicable methods are necessary to categorize the deformity, evaluate its severity, and design a treatment plan that will work for the widest range of individuals. For this reason, it is necessary to determine if any existing systems that have been made public could serve this function.
There were 38 searches in PubMed (1999–2019; in English). There are 42 studies that describe new ways to categorize adult facial deformities. They were evaluated using a set of 10 criteria that define a “ideal” system, such as comprehensiveness in terms of anatomy covered, versatility in terms of deformity types treated, ease of use, the generalizability of the underlying approach, and the capacity to direct injectable treatments.
None of the systems could meet more than 7 of the 10 checklist criteria, were applicable to more than 1 type of deformity, or suggested injectables for treatment. An adult facial deformity classification system before injectable therapy is still needed. The checklist can be used as a guide for growth. Injectables are becoming more widely available, posing a risk of mismanagement of a population that is both diverse and complicated.
