Simulation of Skin Stretching around the Forehead Wrinkles in Rhytidectomy

Abstract

Objective: Skin stretching around the forehead wrinkles is an important method in rhytidectomy. Proper parameters are required to evaluate the surgical effect. In this paper, a simulation method was proposed to obtain the parameters. Methods: Three-dimensional point cloud data with a resolution of 50 μm were employed. First, a smooth supporting contour under the wrinkled forehead was generated via b-spline interpolation and extrapolation to constrain the deformation of the wrinkled zone. Then, based on the vector formed intrinsic finite element (VFIFE) algorithm, the simulation was implemented in Matlab for the deformation of wrinkled forehead skin in the stretching process. Finally, the stress distribution and the residual wrinkles of forehead skin were employed to evaluate the surgical effect. Results: Although the residual wrinkles are similar when forehead wrinkles are finitely stretched, their stress distribution changes greatly. This indicates that the stress distribution in the skin is effective to evaluate the surgical effect, and the forehead wrinkles are easily to be overstretched, which may lead to potential skin injuries. Conclusion: The simulation method can predict stress distribution and residual wrinkles after forehead wrinkle stretching surgery, which can be potentially used to control the surgical process and further reduce risks of skin injury.