Published in:
01-02-2022 | Skin Wrinkling | Original Paper
Tear trough depth and quality across age groups: a cross-sectional study
Published in: European Journal of Plastic Surgery | Issue 1/2022
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Background
Patients are frequently concerned with the appearance of an increasing depth of the tear trough area, but no study has yet examined the association of the depth of the tear trough with the change over time. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship of the depth and quality of the tear trough with age.
Methods
In 108 participants, tear trough depth and characteristics were determined using the tear trough rating scale (TTRS), assessing tear trough depth, pigmentation, nasal fat pad prolapse, and lower eyelid rhytidosis. Correlations between demographics and depth were determined using Pearson’s r, while correlations between demographics and pigmentation, fat pad prolapse, and rhytidosis used Spearman’s rho.
Results
Age is significantly associated with total TTRS score (p=0.001), but there is nosignificant difference in the association between depth with age (p=0.156, p=0.240) orpigmentation with age (p=0.984, p=0.956). There is a significant difference in theassociation between fat pad prolapse with age (p=0.001) as well as rhytids with age(p=0.001).
Conclusions
Historically, tear trough depth has been felt to be associated with aging change. Increased tear trough depth is unlikely to be associated with age. Rather, rhytidosis and fat pad prolapse maintain this association with age. Understanding this information may offer benefit in educating and treating the aesthetic patient who has concerns regarding the appearance of their tear trough.
Level of evidence: Level III, diagnostic study.