THE QUANTIFICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF NASAL SEBACEOUS GLANDS USING IMAGE-ANALYSIS

The distribution of sebaceous glands in nasal skin is of interest beca use the presence of these adnexal structures significantly influences the outcome of healing. Using whole nasal skins dissected from cadaver s, we prepared tissue sections from the nasal bridge to the nasal tip, both from the midline and lateral aspects. The sebaceous glands in th ese sections were analyzed for the following parameters: (1) size of t he glands, (2) width of luminal cross-sections, and (3) depth of the g lands. These parameters were studied using a Leitz Quantimet 500 Plus image analyzer and software to quantify the results. We found that the superior or proximal nasal skin contains fewer, smaller, more superfi cially located sebaceous glands. The inferior or distal nasal skin con tains increased numbers of sebaceous glands which are markedly larger in size. The glands in the distal nose have larger lumina, are situate d both superficially and deep in the dermis, and also occupy a greater percentage of the dermis. We identified an anatomical break-point on the nasal skin. marking the transition from superficial, small sebaceo us glands to superficial-and-deep, enlarged glands. The columella was found to be similar to the proximal nasal skin.