Human races and nationalities differ among themselves by a variety of anatomical features.
Among them, one of the main is the structure of the eyes and the skin around them.
By the features of the eye device, it is possible to reliably separate one nation from another.
The special arrangement of the organs of sight in humans of the Mongoloid race is widely known.
In particular, they have a skin fold at the nose, called epicanthus. Epicanthus also occurs in Caucasians, but this is a deviation from the norm and indicates pathologies of the body.
- 1. Description
- 2. Forms and complications of
- 3. Diagnosis and treatment of
- 4. Results of
- 5. Video
Description
Epicanthus is a fold of skin that runs vertically between the bridge of the nose and the angle of the eye. The fold has a crescent shape. It originates in the eyebrows and reaches up to the cheekbones.
Epicanthus closes tear ducts, internal corners of eyes and medial adhesion, that is, this layer protects all the most vulnerable parts of the organ of vision. Additionally, you can familiarize yourself with the structure of the human eye.
In Mongoloids, the presence of epicanthus is due to evolutionary .
According to one of the scientific hypotheses, life in the conditions of severe frosts and constant winds, carrying the smallest particles of ice and dust, has made the eyes of people of the Mongoloid race adapted to such challenges of nature. Epicanthus is so arranged that it does not allow the tear duct to become clogged with dust and supercooled.
According to another hypothesis, the presence of epicanthus depends on the width of the bridge of the nose and is not due to climatic factors. If it is wide, then the bone in the place of its contact with the region of the eyelid creates a characteristic tension of the skin.
This formation consists predominantly of adipose tissue. You can say that this fat-filled skin bag.
It is natural for representatives of a number of peoples of Russia: Tatars, Buryats, Yakuts, Chukchi, Kalmyks, Bashkirs.
The severity of the epicanthus decreases with age. Only 25% of people over 50( even among the Mongoloids), he clearly stands out on his face.
The occurrence of epicanthus in Caucasians is rare and uncommon for members of this race. Such skin formations can indicate a number of disorders and diseases.
Only in childhood they can be found in healthy people, and already at the school age from the epicanthus there should be no traces.
If it occurs in adolescence and in adults, then this indicates the following pathologies:
- Congenital epicanthus indicates an abnormal course of pregnancy in the mother and the wrong course of the process of formation of the skin in the fetus. This happens if the mother did not lead a healthy lifestyle or suffered severe infectious diseases.
- Epicanthus is considered one of the symptoms of Down syndrome, at least, a statistical correlation between the two phenomena was found.
- This formation may be a symptom of other, more rare chromosomal abnormalities.
- The acquired epicanthus occurs due to traumas of the skin around the eyes. Tightening scars are manifested by the presence of a characteristic cutaneous layer.
Forms and complications of
This skin formation has several varieties with minor differences:
| | Description |
| Superciliary | It is characterized by a symmetrical arrangement of folds between the lower and upper eyelids, the direction of the semicircles formed by them coincides with the eye circumference |
| Palpebral | It is characterized by a symmetrical arrangement of folds, but their length is much shorter and coincides with the width of the ocular gap |
| Tarzal | The fold begins at the lower eye gap and extends upward along the eyebrow line, repeating its outlines |
| Inverse( reverse) | Neck foldis attached to the upper eyebrow and descends, repeating the contours of the lower eyepiece of the |
Epicanthus itself is not considered a pathology, since it does not lead to disturbances in the work of the organs of vision: the eyes do not lose sight, they do not experience any unpleasant sensations.
But some forms of epicanthus often correspond to much more unpleasant disorders. For example, with a tarsal form, blepharophimosis may develop.
Blepharophimosis is the descent of the upper eyelid, in which it decreases in size diagonally and vertically. Epicanthus with blepharophimosis manifests itself as a negative clinical symptom.
The eyelid is not in a natural state, it contracts and presses on the eye, which leads to the development of traumatic processes, increased tear, difficulties in closing and opening of the eyelids.
Usually skin layers are equally pronounced in both eyes and are symmetrical to each other. But in a number of cases they can manifest themselves in different ways, look disproportionate.
This happens with eye injuries - then the tightening scar becomes an epicanthus only on the injured eye.
Epicanthus traumatic nature can be complicated by strabismus, as the tightening scar will press on the eyes and change their position, change the direction of the view.
To consider subjects in the presence of a pathological epicanthus, it is necessary to constantly strain the eye muscles, which can not but contribute to rapid fatigue and a subsequent drop in visual acuity.
Schematic forms of epicanthus look like this:
Diagnosis and treatment of
To search for this skin layer, special diagnostic procedures are not required, a simple ophthalmologic examination is sufficient.
The most important part of the diagnosis is the distinction between epicanthus and other disorders of the location of the skin layers of the eyes, which is called differential diagnosis.
Despite the similarity of manifestations, epicanthus and other varieties of ptosis require the use of different approaches to treatment, which makes it necessary to clearly distinguish these disorders.
In the diagnosis it is important to analyze the patient's pedigree. A person with European facial features may have distant relatives of Asian nationalities, which is not uncommon in Russian conditions. In this case, the presence of epicanthus can be caused by their genetic influence.
If the skin fold is unpleasant to a person from the aesthetic point of view, or if there is a possibility of developing it into more severe disorders, then a surgical operation is performed. Medication correction of this defect is impossible.
The operation is not performed at the age of 7 years, because at this time there is still a possibility of self-extinction of the epicanthus.
The operation to remove this formation is called blepharoplasty and takes place in the following sequence:
- The operated skin area is marked.
- Marked skin areas along the line of the eyelashes.
- The fat tissue is removed from the excised areas.
- A new fold is formed on the site of the cut.
- The muscles of the eyelid are pulled to match the new outlines of the eyes.
Blepharoplasty is performed only under general anesthesia, since it is necessary to minimize all voluntary and reflex movements of the eyelids and eye muscles.
The incision is made where the seam has a minimum size and is invisible due to the thinness of the skin in such areas, therefore, scars are not formed, and the operation does not adversely affect the appearance of the person.
The recovery period lasts only a few days, after which the person will no longer feel any consequences of the operation and discomfort.
This video will help you learn more about blepharoplasty:
Results of
Epicanthus is a fatty skin fold that lies between the lower and upper eyelids in the spaces of the bridge of the nose and the eyeball.
This layer is found mainly in people of the Mongoloid race. The most common hypothesis states that this is due to the evolutionary adaptation to the climatic conditions of Asia.
Epicanthus also occurs in Caucasoids, but in their case it can be a symptom of congenital pathologies or traumatic eye injuries.
This formation is removed only surgically under general anesthesia during blepharoplasty. In most cases, its removal is not necessary, if epicanthus does not lead to any complications and does not impair the quality of human life.