Table 2.
Absolute and relative frequencies of intrinsic skin ageing related morphological features of dermal matrix fibers and dermal microvasculature imaged by 3-D HD-OCT in inverted colour setting
| Young-aged group (N = 20) | Middle-aged group (N = 20) | Old-aged group (N = 20) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dermal matrix fibers | |||
| Morphology | |||
| Up-PD: curled thin short fibers | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001)* | 8 (40.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Up-PD: curled thick fibers | 1 (5.0 %) | 12 (60.0 %) | 20 (100.0 %) (p < 0.01) |
| Low-PD: thick, intermediate wavy fibers | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 6 (30.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Low-PD: thick straight fibers | 1 (5.0 %) | 14 (70.0 %) | 20 (100.0 %) (p < 0.01) |
| Up-RD: coarse intermediate curved rope-like bundles of fibers | 18 (90.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 7 (35.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Up-RD: coarse intermediate/long straight rope-like bundles of fibers | 2 (10.0 %) | 13 (65.0 %) | 20 (100.0 %) (p < 0.01) |
| Organisation of fibers | |||
| Up-PD: short fibers loosely interwoven | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 6 (30.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Up-PD: fibers aggregating in lace-like network | 1 (5.0 %) | 14 (70.0 %) | 20 (100.0 %) (p < 0.01) |
| Low-PD – Up-RD: fibers in randomly “feltwork” | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 5 (15.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Low-PD – Up-RD: intermediate fibers aligned in few directions | 1 (5.0 %) | 13 (75.0 %) (p < 0.01) | 6 (30.0 %) |
| Low-PD – Up-RD: long fibers aligned in one direction corresponding with furrow pattern | 0 (0.0 %) | 2 (10.0 %) | 14 (70.0 %) (p < 0.01) |
| Clusters of dots in papillary dermis | |||
| Dispersed aligned with fibers or lining hyporeflective holes in vertical orientation “Candle stick holder” | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 4 (20.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Increased density (horizontal orientation-condensed) | 1 (5.0 %) | 16 (80.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 2 (10.0 %) |
| Compact blotches | 0 (0.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) | 18 (90.0 %) (p < 0.001) |
| Blood vessels (hyporeflective spaces) | |||
| Capillary density in papillary dermis | |||
| High | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 2 (10.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Intermediate | 1 (5.0 %) | 17 (85.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 2 (10.0 %) |
| Low | 0 (0.0 %) | 1 (5.0 %) | 18 (90.0 %) (p < 0.001) |
| Vessel morphology in papillary dermis | |||
| Large ovoid | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 3 (15.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Small ovoid | 1 (5.0 %) | 16 (80.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 1 (5.0 %) |
| Small round “pinholes” | 0 (0.0 %) | 1 (5.0 %) | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001) |
| Vessel morphology in reticular dermis | |||
| Small elongated in horizontal plane | 19 (95.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 2 (10.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) |
| Large elongated in horizontal plane | 1 (5.0 %) | 18 (90.0 %) (p < 0.001) | 2 (10.0 %) |
| Prominent and branched vessels with hyper-reflective cuff | 0 (0.0 %) | 0 (0.0 %) | 18 (90.0 %) (p < 0.001) |
p values in italic are significant if p < 0.05
Up-PD upper papillary dermis, Low-PD lower papillary dermis, Up-RD upper reticular dermis
* p values have been added whenever appropriate; for details see “Results”