The differing adipocyte morphologies of deep versus superficial midfacial fat compartments: a cadaveric study

Area of Science:

• Anatomy
• Histology
• Biomedical Science

Background:

• Facial fat is anatomically partitioned into superficial nasolabial and deep medial cheek compartments.
• Previous studies noted gross morphologic differences, but cellular-level distinctions remained unestablished.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and establish cellular-level morphological differences between superficial nasolabial and deep medial cheek fat depots.
• To correlate adipocyte size with body mass index and sex.

Main Methods:

• Adipose tissue from 63 cadavers (aged 47-101 years) was analyzed.
• Histologic sections were used to digitally calculate and average cross-sectional adipocyte areas.
• Specimens were categorized by body mass index (normal vs. high) and sex.

Main Results:

• Nasolabial fat adipocytes were significantly larger than deep medial cheek fat adipocytes (p < 0.0001).
• Higher body mass index correlated with significantly larger adipocyte size in both fat depots (p < 0.0001).
• Sexual dimorphism in adipocyte size was observed, but was lost in specific BMI/depot combinations.

Conclusions:

• The smaller adipocyte size in deep medial cheek fat supports distinct morphological differences between facial fat compartments.
• Further research into metabolic and structural properties will elucidate differing facial aging patterns.