Abstract
This study was carried out at the histochemical, immunohistochemical and scanning electron microscopic levels to elucidate morphology, distribution of elastic fibers and extracellular matrices (type I and III collagens). Specimens were collected from 26 cadavers (18 males and 8 females; 50–90 years of age) which had no muscular disease in the human face.
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Observation by macroscopy: A tight attachment between skin and connective tissue was found in the frontal and inferior labial regions, but at the superior labial, orbital and modiolus regions showed loose attachment in the face skin.
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2.
Observation by microscopy: The elastic fibers (EF) were located in the epithelium, intercellular substance, connective tissue near muscle fibers, and the perimysium and endomysium of the muscle fibers. In the thick intercellular substance the concentrated EF are found, and they varied in arrangement in each of five observed locations. In measurement locations, the cross-sectional area of muscle fiber was sharply decreased, and was especially remarkable in the modiolous portion.
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Observation by immunohistochemistry: Type I and III collegens were distributed throughout connective tissue. Particularly, type I collagen was localized in the connective tissue of the superior labial, modiolus and orbital regions, and type III was distributed on the connective tissue of all examined regions except for the frontal region.
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Observation by scanning electron microscopy: Numerous fibers were composed of irregularly arranged small and large fibrous bundles from the papillary dermis to intercellular substance. A few very fine irregularly arranged fibers were forming a network, and were found around large EF bundles. These large bundles were irregularly arranged to other collagenous complicated fibers in almost all examined regions.
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Omata, Y., Sato, I. & Sato, T. An anatomical study of the adult human face: Distribution of elastic fibers and collagen fibers in the skin and subcutaneus tissue. Shigaku = Odontology 85, 356–375 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03039033
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03039033