The Measure of Youth

As interest in photodamage increases, new methods meant to improve its quantification as well as the response of photodamage to treatment have been put forward. In this issue of theArchives, Griffiths and colleagues¹present a newly developed photonumeric grading system for assessing the severity of cutaneous photodamage. The nine-point grading scale they advocate is based on standardized photographs of five patients who are meant to be representative examples of five of these nine grades of photodamage. Also in this issue, Armstrong and colleagues²evaluate a new approach to the assessment of the effect of a topical retinoid on photoaging. The limitations of interrater reliability and individual rater's consistency over time are further explored in Perednia's³study of physician assessment of photographic and digital images of pigmented lesions. This editorial results from our interest in study design and the participation of one of us in studies of the treatment of photoaging with other drugs