scalp

Scalp definition And its outline

Scalp is a soft tissue that covers the vault of the skull

Anterior:superciliary arch

Posterior:external occipital protuberance and superior nucheal line

Therefore we can say that scalp spans from forehead(right above our eyebrows) till the occipital bone at the back of the skull

Layers of scalp

There are 5 layers

We can learn it by the mnemonics SCALP

S:Skin

C:Connective Tissue(dense)

A:Aponeurosis

L:Loose connective or areolar tissue

P:Periosteum

Skin of scalp?

Skin of the scalp is thick and specialised

It contains several sebaceous glands and hair follicles

Due to the above reasons, it is a common site for sebaceous cysts

Connective tissue of the scalp?

It is a dense, fibrous layer that is rich with blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and nerves anchor by the fibrous septa

Due to the rich vascularity, a scalp wound can lead to heavy bleeding as well as faster healing

. The nerve presence indicates that a scalp wound can be painful and so anesthetia should be targeted there.

There is also presence of fats lobules that are separated by again the fibrous septa, giving them lobulated appearance.This ensures that excess fats don’t accumulate and cause lipomas(fat tumor)

Aponeurosis layer of skin

It is a sheet of occipitofronatlis muscle

The occipitalis muscle arises from superior nucheal line and inserts into the aponeurotic Layer on top of skull(bony attachment present)

The frontalis muscle arises from infront of the aponeurotic layer and gets inserted on the skin of forehead(no bony attachment)

Therefore if there is a cut on this area,avulsion occurs as muscles pulls them towards the edge

Both the muscles are supplied by the facial nerve

Frontalis by the temporal branch of facial nerve, helping with forehead wrinkles and eyebrow elevation

Occipitalis is supplied by the posterior auricular branch of the facial nerve, and responsible for the shift of scalp backwards