title: Histopathologic and Ultrastructural Features of Gold Thread Implanted in the Skin for Facial Rejuvenation.
abstract: The authors report the histopathologic and ultrastructural features of gold threads, which were implanted in the cheek subcutis of a 77-year-old woman 10 years ago. These particles did not give rise to any adverse reactions and were fortuitously discovered by the surgeon during a facelift. Histopathology showed a nonpolarizing exogenous material consisting of black oval structures surrounded by a capsule of fibrosis and by a discrete inflammatory reaction with a few giant cells. In some cases, only a long fibrous tract surrounded by a moderate mononucleate infiltrate was observed. The wires were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray microanalysis revealed a specific peak at 2.2 keV representative of gold that was absent in the control skin sample. As this value is specific for gold, it confirms the presence of the metal in the patient's skin. The histopathologic appearance of gold threads is particularly distinctive and easily recognizable by dermatopathologists.
authors.affiliation: *Cabinet de Dermatopathologie, Paris, France; †Cabinet de Chirurgie Plastique, Paris, France; and ‡Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Paris 06, CNRS, UMR 7190, Institut Jean le Rond d'Alembert, 75005, Paris.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moulonguet
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arnaud
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Plantier
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zaleski
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D003357:Cosmetic Techniques; D004577:Electron Probe Microanalysis; D005260:Female; D006046:Gold / Q000032:analysis / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D012060:Rejuvenation; D015595:Skin Aging; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D006046:Gold