BACKGROUND: The majority of conventional studies on skin aging have focused on static conditions. However, in daily life, the facial skin we encounter is constantly in motion due to conversational expressions and changes in facial expressions, causing the skin to alter its position and shape, resulting in a dynamic state. Consequently, it is hypothesized that characteristics of aging not apparent in static conditions may be present in the dynamic state of the skin. Therefore, this study investigates age-related changes in dynamic skin characteristics associated with facial expression alterations.
METHODS: A motion capture system measured the dynamic characteristics (delay and stretchiness of skin movement associated with expression) of the cheek skin in response to facial expressions among 86 Japanese women aged between 20 and 69 years.
RESULTS: The findings revealed an increase in the delay of cheek skin response to facial expressions (r = 0.24, p < 0.05) and a decrease in the stretchiness of the lower cheek area with age (r = 0.60, p < 0.01). An increasing variance in delay and stretchiness within the same age group was also observed with aging.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study revealed that skin aging encompasses both static characteristics, such as spots, wrinkles, and sagging, traditionally studied in aging research, and dynamic aging characteristics of the skin that emerge in response to facial expression changes. These dynamic aging characteristics could pave the way for the development of new methodologies in skin aging analysis and potentially improve our understanding and treatment of aging impressions that are visually perceptible in daily life but remain unexplored.

Abrikossoff tumors, also known as granular cell tumors (GCT), originate from Schwann cells. The most common location is in the oral cavity, followed by the skin, but they can also be found in the breast, digestive tract, tracheobronchial tree, or central nervous system. They can affect both sexes at any age, with a higher incidence between 30 and 50 years and a slight predisposition for female sex. They are usually solitary tumors but may also be multifocal. Most of the time, they are benign, with malignancy being exceptional in <2% of cases. Clinically, they appear as solid, well-defined, painless tumors, located subcutaneously with dimensions that can reach up to 10 cm. The definitive diagnosis is based on the immunohistochemical examination, and the treatment for benign tumors consists of surgical excision. Chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be required for malignant lesions, but the treatment regimens and their benefits remain unclear. This manuscript presents the case of a 12-year-old girl with a benign GCT, located in the skin on the mandibular line.

Orofacial epidermoid cysts are rare entities that present as encapsulated, subepidermal painless masses, usually slow growing and asymptomatic. They are mostly limited to the floor of the mouth, tongue, lips, palate or jaws. Herein, we present an atypical case of epidermoid cyst originating from the left cheek facial epidermis in a 27-year-old male patient. The cyst presented as a swelling that was slowly progressing in size since the past 1 year with no discharge. Complete excision of the mass was done, and the cyst cavity was found to be filled with a cheesy-white, granular, semi-solid proteinaceous exudate which completely occluded the punctum. The patient post-operatively revealed persistent mechanical trauma due to incorrect workplace habits he developed, which led to the formation of the epidermoid cyst. Patient education was done and was advised to use proper workplace instrumentation.

Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection belonging to order of Mucorales which causes a high rate of mortality. This infection is mostly common in the immunosuppression conditions such as diabetes mellitus, chemotherapy, organ transplantation and hematologic malignancies.