title: Thickness of Korean upper eyelid skin at different levels.
abstract: This study aims at elucidating the thickness of the Korean upper eyelid at different levels. Left eyelids of 10 (9 males and 1 female) fresh Korean cadavers were dissected. Full thickness upper eyelids were cut and trichrome stained. The thickness was measured under a microscope.The thickness of upper eyelid skin varied at different levels. The thickest part of the upper eyelid is just below the eyebrow (D) (1.127 +/- 238 microm), and the thinnest skin is near the ciliary margin (A) (320 +/- 49 microm). The upper tarsal area (C) and mid tarsal area (B) are 832 +/- 213 and 703 +/- 103 microm, respectively. "A" area was significantly thinner than mid tarsal "B" area (P = 0.000). The skin above the tarsus was thicker than the "B" area, but there was no significant difference (P = 0.081). The skin just below the eyebrow, "D," was thicker than the upper tarsal border, "C" area (P = 0.011). The epidermis accounted for 11.2% of the entire skin near the ciliary margin. However, epidermis presented less (4.2-5.5%) of the whole skin at other levels (P = 0.000). The distance between ciliary margin and the point where the skin turns suddenly thicker was 1.89 +/- 0.23 mm. The size of the tarsal plate was 8.88 +/- 0.81 mm. These data of upper eyelid skin thickness may apply to Asian double fold surgery and also to full thickness skin donation for grafting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, College of Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea. jokerhg@inha.ac.kr
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Dae Joong
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Se Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D002102:Cadaver; D020405:Dermis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D004817:Epidermis / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005138:Eyebrows / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005140:Eyelashes / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005143:Eyelids / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012867:Skin / Q000033:anatomy & histology*