Gender-Wise Histological Differences in the Human Upper Lip

Abstract

Introduction: Knowledge of morphometry of lip lining help in deciding the best site for choosing graft for its better uptake during several dermal grafting procedures following craniofacial cancers or cosmetic procedures. It also proves useful in dermatopharmacokinetics, in which we monitor the effect of drugs acting on connective tissue by translabial route and lip augmentation surgeries (esthetic surgery) where care is to be given for dermal fillers not to be injected into the muscle core of lip. Materials and Methods: Ten human male cadavers and 10 human female cadavers were procured. The rectangle-shaped skin specimen (1 cm × 1 cm) through the upper lip was stained with hematoxylin and eosin stain. A total of 40 slides were prepared. Readings were obtained with the help of CATCAM E series HD cameras which was installed in light microscope. Results: The mean value of thickness of skin (epidermis + dermis) of the lip was 664.72 μm among males while 769.20 μm among females. Conclusion: The epithelium of females is marginally thicker than males. Edp: sc (epidermis/stratum corneum) ratio can suggest that giving drugs through translabial route will be easy in females as compared to males in the upper lip as the stratum corneum is the main barrier in drug transfusion and its absorption secondary to epidermis as a whole. The number of rete pegs per field at the dermoepidermal junction was higher in males which ensures more stability of skin of male lips compared to females.