An anatomic comparison of the skin of five donor sites for dermal fat graft

Abstract

Kim performed more than 3,000 augmentation rhinoplasties using the dermal fat graft. He preferred the sacral area as the donor site over other areas because the dermis is thick and the fat is more compact. The authors conducted a comparative study of the thickness of the epidermis and dermis, and the numbers of fibroblasts and fibrocytes in the dermis of the abdominal wall, groin, lateral gluteal area, gluteal fold, and sacrum of 7 adult cadavers. The sacrum had the thickest epidermis (86.1 +/- 7.8 mum) and dermis (1,510.7 +/- 201.7 mum), and the groin had the thinnest epidermis (57.3 +/- 22.9 mum) and dermis (783.3 +/- 244.5 mum), The dermal thickness of the abdomen, lateral gluteal area, and gluteal fold was 913.3 +/- 271.7 mum, 1,018.7 +/- 305.6 mum, and 1,107.0 +/- 272.6 pm respectively, The sacral dermis was significantly thicker than the other four sites (p < 0.008), and the groin dermis was the thinnest (p < 0.039). The number of fibroblasts and fibrocytes in the sacral area and the gluteal skin folds was significantly higher than the other areas (p < 0.05). The sacral area, gluteal fold, and lateral gluteal region had relatively thicker panniculus adiposus than the abdomen and groin. The panniculus adiposus of the sacral skin was especially well developed and was comprised of several compact layers that were connected by parallel, thick collagen fibers. The authors conclude that the sacral skin is a suitable donor site for dermal grafting because its dermis has more fibroblasts and fibrocytes than the other areas studied, and its dermis is more viable and durable.