Lip and perioral assessment scale – a tool that can improve your practice

Abstract

Background: The lips and perioral region are a highly dynamic anatomic area of the face and its anatomy and measurements will vary from patient to patient. In many years of clinical practice and as trainers for other injectors we have noticed that the assessment of this region is also very variable regardless of the experience of the injector. Objectives: The goal of this article is to provide a tool for assessment of the lower face and perioral area in other to simplify cosmetic treatments and help injectors identify what needs to be addressed in each patient. Methods: Over the last few years, weanalyzed the most common concerns of every patient presenting for treatment of the lips and perioral area and the most frequent areas addressed in the treatment of the lower face, and organized them into a tool that was able to systematize the different levels of attention needed in each particular area, guiding injectors towards a better final result. As trainers for other injectors, we also analyzed the most difficult aspects of the perioral assessment and simplified them into this tool that can help even novice injectors to do the correct diagnosis and therefore achieve better results while treating the perioral area. Conclusions: We believe that this tool will help both experienced and young injectors in the assessment of the lips and perioral area prior to treatment and in doing so, will provide a better outcome and cosmetic result.

The smile and emotional expression: practical application of a lip and perioral assessment scale

“…The focus of this work was on identifying key characteristics that contribute to lip and perioral aesthetics and providing practical insights into the real-world use of the recently published Lip and Perioral Assessment Scale. 15 It was conducted in multiple stages and included multidisciplinary collaboration, a practitioner survey and focus group and real-world experience.…”

“…In March 2022 a hybrid (in-person/on-line) focus group meeting was held during which the authors discussed best practice approaches to patient assessment and developed relevant recommendation statements. During the final stage of this work, practitioners applied the Lip and Perioral Assessment Scale 15 in their own practices, and provided insights into its use in a real-world setting. Selected case studies are used to highlight this experience.…”

“…The Lip and Perioral Assessment Scale recognizes that assessment and treatment planning of patients presenting for lip enhancement should ideally take the whole perioral region into account. 15 The scale takes a systematic approach to assessment, ensuring that lip shape (projection, volume and contour), facial proportions (ratio of lips to lower face and upper to lower lips), symmetry, skin quality and changes observed with dynamic movement are all accounted for. The Lip and Perioral Assessment Scale (Figure 3) is presented in a circular format, enabling eight different aspects of the smile to be graded on a scale of 0-3 (where 0 is closest to the center and denotes no concerns, and 3 is closest to the periphery and denotes significant concern), to determine their severity.…”

“…The original development of the Lip and Perioral Assessment Scale 15 was pilot tested on patients in a large teaching hospital in Brazil, each with different needs and resultant treatment plans (examples in Figure 4). We build on these results with four additional case studies, conducted in private aesthetics clinics, showing the utility of the scale outside of the setting in which it was developed.…”

“…The intent of the Lip and Perioral Assessment Scale is to simplify cosmetic treatments and help injectors identify what needs to be addressed in each individual patient. 15 This paper builds on that work, reviewing the key principles that support this tool, discussing insights from its practical application and providing consensus as to its utility in clinical practice.…”