A pad of fat that acts as an energy reserve. It also protects muscles, bones and more delicate tissues from injury.
US demonstrates the early progression of a subcutaneous hematoma into cellulitis and fat necrosis (Fig. 7a). A transverse extended-field-of-view 12-5 MHz US image over the trochanteric area of a patient with local contusion trauma reveals a diffuse increase in echogenicity of fatty lobules, undefined hyperechoic strands and connective septa.
It’s Your Body’s Armor
Your body is layered like an outfit: Your skin (the “tank top”), the muscle layer (the “blouse”) and, in places that store fat, your subcutaneous tissue (the “pants”).
This layer provides insulation and regulates temperature and helps absorb shock to muscles and bones. The fat in this layer is stored by specialized cells called adipocytes in a layer of connective tissue called the subcutaneous fascia.
Adipocytes secrete hormones that help control appetite and signal when the body has enough energy. This fat is also used as fuel when the body doesn’t have enough carbohydrates. Inflammation of the adipose tissue, called adipocytosis, can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes.
In the traumatic setting, changes in subcutaneous tissue can range from hemorrhagic infiltration of fat lobules to abscesses and granulation tissues. US reveals these changes as increased echogenicity of the fatty lobules separated from hyperechoic connective tissue strands by anechoic fluid (Fig. 4a – e).
Interestingly, if you inject medication into this layer, it is absorbed much slower than if injected into muscle. This is because the subcutaneous tissue has fewer blood vessels than muscle, and as a result, less of the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream. It is this unique property that makes the subcutaneous injection a useful route for administering certain medications. These drugs are typically water-soluble, nonirritant, and highly effective.
It’s Your Insulation
As an insulating layer of fat, your subcutaneous tissue is one of the most important (although underappreciated) lines of defense in your body. Its job is to protect the bones, muscles and organs beneath it from physical damage. It also works to regulate the body’s temperature and keep it from overheating or cooling off too much, a process called thermoregulation. It can even help us deal with the occasional bout of sickness by storing sweat to cool us off.
Like the pads a football player wears before a game, your subcutaneous tissue is there to protect the underlying muscle and bones from injury. It is spongy and resilient, so it absorbs shock from falls or other injuries.
The layer is also responsible for helping the skin move smoothly over muscles and tissues underneath it. It also acts as a shock absorber and stores energy in fat cells. It also contains nerves that detect temperatures and relay them to the brain, as well as sweat glands that help your body cool off.
As you age, this insulating layer starts to thin. This can make it harder to stay warm and puts you at risk for hypothermia. It can also mean that the medications you take are absorbed less easily because they pass through this layer. Moreover, it can lead to the development of third or fourth degree burns, abscesses, pressure ulcers and tumors.
It’s Your Skin
The outer layer of skin consists of the epidermis, which provides a barrier against bacteria, viruses and other environmental toxins. The middle layer of the skin is dermis, which contains sweat glands, lymphatic vessels and blood vessels. The innermost layer of the skin is subcutaneous tissue, which is an all-important insulator that helps to regulate body temperature.
The subcutaneous tissue is thickest in areas like the buttocks, palms of hands and soles of feet, where it has a lot of fat cells called adipocytes. A person’s fat distribution varies by body part and can differ based on their nutritional habits. The subcutaneous tissue is also rich in collagen, which is a strong fibrous protein that binds loosely to other layers of the skin and to tissues underneath it, such as bones and muscles.
The main function of subcutaneous tissue is to pad and protect the muscles, bones, nerves and other structures under the skin from physical damage. It also helps to maintain proper body temperature through insulation and heat absorption. The subcutaneous tissue can be damaged by conditions such as third or fourth degree burns, abscesses, pressure ulcers and tumors, including sarcomas, which are cancerous. Inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue is known as panniculitis. The condition usually occurs after a person injects drugs or other substances into their skin and the injection site becomes infected and then swells up.
It’s Your Fat
In the body, the layer of fat that makes up most of your body’s weight is referred to as subcutaneous fat. This fatty tissue — sometimes called superficial fascia, hypodermis or subcutis — is found between your skin and your deeper muscle and bone layers. It serves many important functions. It provides insulation, helps regulate the temperature of the body and absorbs shock when a fall or blow occurs. It also acts as a reserve source of energy and produces hormones that help control hunger, blood sugar and metabolism.
In addition, your subcutaneous fat produces a large variety of molecules that can benefit your health. These beneficial molecules are known as adipokines and include the protein leptin, which sends a message to the brain that you’re full. It’s these beneficial adipokines that explain why you feel satiety after eating and why you can lose weight by cutting back on calories.
In contrast, the adipose tissue that is stored within the abdominal cavity — the so-called visceral fat — produces a large variety of molecules that can have deleterious effects on your health. This fat produces cytokines that can trigger low-level inflammation, which is a risk factor for chronic diseases. It also produces a precursor of angiotensin, a protein that causes blood vessels to constrict and blood pressure to rise.
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