PS25 Impact of sensitive skin on quality of life: determination of a cutoff in Burden of Sensitive Skin score

Abstract

Sensitive skin is a common condition that can be diagnosed using the Sensitive Scale-10 (SS-10). The Burden of Sensitive Skin (BoSS) questionnaire was developed and validated to evaluate the impact of sensitive skin on quality of life. It consists of 14 items, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 56. The study aimed to establish a cutoff score for the BoSS indicating ­moderate-to-strong impact on quality of life. A multicentre, prospective clinical study was conducted in nine investigational centres in Europe, America, Africa and Asia. It included adults with self-reported sensitive skin. They responded to the SS-10 and BoSS questionnaires as well as a general question: ‘During the last week, to what extent did your sensitive skin affect your life?’, to which they could respond with one of the following answers: no, slight, moderate or significant impact. The relationship between BoSS and general question scores was assessed using the Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ). Of the 595 participants, 129 were excluded due to a skin disease. In total 466 participants were included in the analysis, with a mean age of 43 years (SD 13); 85% were women. The mean SS-10 score was 26.0 (SD 20.4) and the mean BoSS score was 22.2 (SD 11.1), with values ranging from 0 to 56. Positive and statistically significant associations were found between BoSS and SS-10 scores. A BoSS score between 0 and 24 would be associated with no or slight impact of sensitive skin on quality of life, while a BoSS score ≥ 25 would indicate a ­moderate-to-strong impact of sensitive skin on quality of life. The κ-coefficient was 0.34, reflecting a fair strength of agreement. A BoSS cutoff score of 25 may be useful for both researchers and clinicians.