Wrinkle Severity Ranking Scale: Static vs Dynamic Wrinkles
How bad are your wrinkles? Do furrowed brows appear when you’re deep in thought? Or smile lines and crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes when you’re laughing? Perhaps, wrinkles are deeply etched in, even when your face is at rest? A Wrinkle Severity Ranking Scale can provide proper facial wrinkle assessment, in order to help you and your medical practitioner determine the best skincare treatments to diminish signs of aging on your face. Here’s more:
Wrinkle Assessment System: Why Use a Facial Wrinkle Severity Ranking Scale?
Before we get into the different wrinkle assessment scales, let’s talk about determining the optimal course of treatment for each patient. Put simply, it’s important to tailor the treatment plan to match the specific stage of aging on the face. For example, if lines and wrinkles only appear when the muscles of the face are in motion (dynamic wrinkles), a treatment with botulinum toxin (Botox) may be indicated. On the other hand, for deeper lines, furrows or creases that are fixed at rest (static wrinkles), a cosmetic dermal filler, like Juvederm, Restylane or Radiesse, may be warranted to restore volume to the face. A facial wrinkle severity ranking scale can serve as a reference, in order to help you and your medical practitioner decide which treatments are right for your particular signs of aging and your individual skincare concerns.
Glogau System: Glogau Wrinkle Severity Ranking Scale
Dr. Richard Glogau is the dermatologist responsible for creating this photoaging* classification system. Visible damage caused by photoaging, including discoloration and wrinkles, are measured by the Glogau Wrinkle Severity Scale as follows:
Type 1: Mild
- Typically, prior to age 30
- Early Photoaging
- Minimal wrinkles even with animation or expression
- Minimal pigment changes
- No skin discoloration
- Makeup unnecessary
Type 2: Moderate
- Typically, age 30s to 40s
- Early to moderate photoaging
- Expression or dynamic lines, typically around eyes and mouth
- Early age spots, typically brown in color
- More pronounced skin pores
- Minimal brown or yellow skin discoloration
- Minimal changes to skin texture
Type 3: Advanced
- Typically, age 40s to 50s
- Advanced photoaging
- Wrinkles at rest (static wrinkles), typically on eyebrow and around mouth, nose and eyes
- Visible age spots and pores
- Visible blood vessels
- Sallow, yellowish skin discoloration
Type 4: Severe
- Typically, over age 60
- Severe photoaging
- Wrinkles at rest across entire face
- Yellow-gray skin tone; lack of pink color
- Possible precancerous or cancerous skin changes
*Photoaging Definition: skin damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet light.
The Modified Fitzpatrick Wrinkle Scale
The Modified Fitzpatrick Wrinkle Scale is a clinically reliable classification system for nasolabial wrinkling, as follows:
Class 0:
No visible wrinkling, continuous skin line
Class 0.5:
Shallow, yet visible wrinkling
Class 1:
Fine wrinkling and slight indentation of skin
Class 1.5:
Visible wrinkling and clear indentation (1 mm wrinkle depth)
Class 2:
Moderate, clearly visible wrinkling (1 to 2 mm wrinkle depth)
Class 2.5:
Prominent, visible wrinkling (more than 2mm depth)
Merz Scale: Merz Wrinkle System
The Merz Wrinkle System is a comprehensive assessment tool for the entire face, which includes the Validated Brow Positioning Grading Scale, the Validated Grading Scale for Forehead lines, the Validated Lip Fullness Grading Scale, the Validated Scale for Marionette Lines, the Validated Hand Grading Scale, and the Validated Grading Scale for Crow’s Feet. Generally speaking, the Merz Scale measures wrinkles as follows:
0 – no wrinkles
1 – no wrinkles, but fine lines with facial expression
2 – fine wrinkles at rest and deep lines with facial expression
3 – fine wrinkles at rest and deeper lines with facial expression
4 – deeper wrinkles at rest and deeper furrows with facial expression
Choosing Smooth Synergy to Address Your Anti-Aging Skincare Needs
Smooth Synergy NYC has been in the medical spa business for over 15 years. This experience gives us a distinct advantage in understanding how the aging process affects the face, and which treatments can be used to restore the skin and provide an anti-aging benefit. Call us at 212-397-0111 to speak with an expert in beauty, who will listen to your skincare concerns, assess the condition of your skin for wrinkles, and create a personalized treatment plan that’s right for you.
