Morphohistologic analysis of fat tissue in areas treated with lipoplasty.

BACKGROUND: In lipoplasty, the ease of fat removal and appearance of aspirated fat may vary considerably, depending on which area of the body is being treated. GOAL: Fat samples from areas of the body in which lipoplasty is commonly performed were subjected to morphohistologic analysis to gain a better understanding of the fat structure and its clinical implications. METHODS: Subcutaneous cellular tissue from the back, promontory, love handles, buttocks, upper abdomen, lower abdomen, lateral thigh skin ("saddle bags"), anterior thigh, and inner thigh was removed from 10 fresh cadavers for macroscopic and microscopic analysis. RESULTS: No differences were found in the deep layer of the subcutaneous cellular tissue from different areas with respect to the characteristics and size of fat globules. At the superficial layer, differences were found with respect to the size, shape, and alignment of the fat globules and the density of the surrounding collagen. CONCLUSION: When lipoplasty is performed, the morphohistologic characteristics of fat tissue in different body areas should be taken into consideration in determining the surgical approach that will achieve the most aesthetic result. (Aesthetic Surg J 2002;22:513-518.).

Effects of a vitamin pool (vitamins A, E, and C) on the tissue necrosis process: experimental study on rats.

During surgical procedures on the epidermis, either aesthetic or reconstructive, the medical literature shows that certain technical standards and skin flap proportions should be followed, unless the risk of necrosis increases, in different degrees, directly related to the trauma. This study evaluates the evolution of skin flaps on the dorsum of rats treated with a vitamin pool (VP) (vitamins A, E, and C). Twenty-six rats, divided into two groups, were used: (A) the treated group (13 specimens), in which we performed a dorsal skin flap and applied the VP, and (B) the control group (13 specimens), in which we performed a flap on the dorsum without application of the VP. Our results demonstrate that, at the macroscopic level, the group treated with the VP had more tissue sufferance, whereas at the microscopic level, small statistical differences were observed between the groups and also between the vertex and the middle of the flap. Despite these small differences, better results were obtained in group A, showing that in this study the clinical aspect did not correspond to the histological features.