Langer's Lines

Q: What are Langer's lines?

Answer: Langer lines are actually skin tension lines. They represent the map of the direction in which the tension in the skin is maximal at different body sites. They were first described by Karl Langer in 1861. They have significant clinical implications in surgery and trauma for the design and placement of surgical incisions. They also help to determine the patterns of spread of some skin disorders. In facial trauma, lacerations not parallel to Langer's lines tend to develop more prominent scarring.

#surgical-critical-care

#trauma

#dermatology

References:

1. Karl Langer, "Zur Anatomie und Physiologie der Haut. Über die Spaltbarkeit der Cutis". Sitzungsbericht der Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Classe der Wiener Kaiserlichen Academie der Wissenschaften Abt. 44 (1861)

2.  "Method and apparatus for determining the lines of optimal direction for surgical cuts in the human skin - US Patent 6418339". Archived from the original on 2013-04-21.

3. Wilhelmi BJ, Blackwell SJ, Phillips LG (July 1999). "Langer's lines: to use or not to use". Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 104 (1): 208–14

*picture: José María Arribas Blanco, Shabnan Habibi, Nuria Rodríguez Pata and José Ramón Castello - (2016). "Integrated Activities in Primary Care – Minor Surgery in Family Medicine". IntechOpen. DOI:10.5772/62650. "This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited."