Abstract
To perform elective surgery resulting in inconspicuous scarring, incisions must be placed along or parallel to tension lines or collagen fibers. Since both are invisible, we were able to show that both, tension lines and collagen fibers, run perpendicular to the striae distensae, which in humans always are formed in the same direction. We present unambiguous clinical examples and histological pictures which prove the direction and parallelization of collagen fibers and their supportive elastic fiber network. As less collagen fibers are destructed during surgery and severe stretching of the wound edges - less fibroblasts are needed for repair, resulting in an optimal scar.
Keywords
Surgical incisions, Folding lines, Skin tension lines, Striae distensae, Stretchmarks, Hypertrophic scar