Aging Changes of the Superficial Fat Compartments of the Midface Over Time: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

BACKGROUND Studies involving superficial facial fat compartments are few in number with conflicting results. Most of them involved small study groups and compared measurements between different populations of young and old subjects either on cadavers or living subjects. OBJECTIVE To clarify volumetric and dimensional changes in midfacial superficial fat compartment retrospectively in patients who underwent a repeat magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) without gross pathology. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 70 patients with a mean age of 60 years (range: 33–82 years) and a median elapsed time of 44.5 months (range: 32–64 months) between 2 MRIs were included. Magnetic resonance imaging scans were analyzed in the axial and sagittal planes to obtain measurements of the medial part of the superficial cheek fat. Superficial cheek fat was divided into 3 compartments. Thickness, width, and height were measured, and volumes were calculated for each compartment on both hemifaces. RESULTS Volume and thickness were decreased significantly in all compartments (p
Source: Dermatologic Surgery - Category: Dermatology Tags: Original Article Source Type: research