Sakata A, Abe K, Mizukoshi K, Gomi T, Okuda I
Skin Research Department, POLA Chemical Industries, Inc., Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Sanno Medical Center, International University of Health and Welfare, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Skin Res Technol. 2018 Feb;24(1):93-98. doi: 10.1111/srt.12395. Epub 2017 Sep 4.
Sagging skin is one of the most concerning esthetic issues for elderly individuals. Although reduced skin elasticity has been reported as the cause of sagging skin, a loss of skin elasticity alone is insufficient to explain sagging facial skin. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying sagging skin, with a focus on the subcutaneous network of collagenous fibers known as the retinacula cutis (RC).
To evaluate the structure of the RC noninvasively, tomographic images of the face were obtained using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The RC was identified by comparing MRI results with histological specimens of human skin. A descriptive scale was used to evaluate the degree of sagging, and a device equipped with a 6-mm-diameter probe was used to measure the elasticity of deeper skin layers and evaluate the physical properties of the skin.
The density of RC in subcutaneous tissue correlated negatively with sagging scores and positively with elasticity.
These results imply that a sparse RC structure contributes to a reduction in the elasticity of subcutaneous tissue, resulting in a greater degree of sagging facial skin. These findings are expected to contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms underlying sagging skin.
皮肤松弛是老年人最关注的美学问题之一。尽管已有报道称皮肤弹性降低是皮肤松弛的原因，但仅皮肤弹性丧失不足以解释面部皮肤松弛。本研究调查了皮肤松弛的潜在机制，重点关注称为皮肤支持带（RC）的皮下胶原纤维网络。
为了无创评估RC的结构，使用磁共振成像（MRI）获取面部断层图像。通过将MRI结果与人体皮肤组织学标本进行比较来识别RC。使用描述性量表评估松弛程度，并使用配备6毫米直径探头的设备测量更深层皮肤的弹性并评估皮肤的物理特性。
皮下组织中RC的密度与松弛评分呈负相关，与弹性呈正相关。
这些结果表明，稀疏的RC结构导致皮下组织弹性降低，从而导致面部皮肤松弛程度更大。这些发现有望有助于理解皮肤松弛的潜在机制。
