Possibilities of deformation of soft tissues in different areas of the head during uniaxial stretching

Background. With the rapid development of plastic and reconstructive surgery, scientific research on the improvement of surgical methods is practically not carried out in Ukraine, since they mean experiments, the creation of control groups and their comprehensive analysis. All modern methods of plastic reconstructive and aesthetic surgery are aimed at mobilization, i.e. at deformation (stretching and relaxation) of flaps of different thickness with their detachment from underlying tissues. At the same time, there were practically no studies on the substantiation of plastic surgery techniques, in which individual layers of soft tissues of the head are peeled off in a limited area or kept intact. Purpose: to determine the degree of deformation of soft tissues in different areas of the head depending on its shape, patient’s age, gender and time of deformation and to establish areas with the same characteristics regarding their deformation. Materials and methods. We used a ZM-20 breaking machine to conduct biomechanical research at the first stage. One end was fixed in a fixed grip, the other — in a moving grip. Results. The soft tissues of the nasal area are characterized by the smallest plastic deformation. This should be remembered at the stage of surgical planning when eliminating pathological scars and cicatricial deformations in this area. The greater plastic deformation is observed in the parotid-masticatory area, the lower margin of the zygomatic area adjacent to the parotid-masticatory area and the medial margin of the orbital area. These regions are characterized by deposition of fatty tissue between the dermis and superficial fascia. At the same time, the latter loses its multi-layered structure and is a plate of connective tissue surrounding bundles of mimic muscle fibers. Conclusions. Significant differences in the degree of deformation of the soft tissues of the head were found depending on anthropometric data, age, gender, and time of deformation. The most variable are the absolute values of plastic deformation of the tissues of the buccal area, which depend on age and gender: in men 41–50 years old, Ε = 0.54 (0.79–0.32), with m = 0.068, in women 51–65 years old, Ε = 0.54 (0.68–0.31), with m = 0.069. The smallest dependence was recorded on the shape of the head in dolichocephalic men: Ε = 0.61 (0.79–0.38), with m = 0.077. The soft tissues of the nasal area in brachycephals are characterized by the smallest plastic deformation: Ε = 0.53 (0.72–0.32), with m = 0.062.