Figure 2.
Fascial architecture of males.9 Structure and arrangement of skin and subcutaneous tissue of individuals with low to normal BMI (upper panel) or high BMI (lower panel) are shown. The arrows demonstrate the interplay of biomechanical forces (blue arrows: outward force of fat lobules; red and grey arrows: inward tethering force of the septal network, with illustrated dimorphism between the numerous short and thin septae [grey arrows] vs the fewer long and thick septae, which have greater stability [red arrows]; orange arrows: inward containment force of the dermis). Decreased probability of a mattress-like skin appearance at the skin surface in men may be due to the greater number of fibrous connections between the superficial fascia and the dermis, providing greater stability. Reprinted with permission from Rudolph et al.9 BMI, body mass index.