race factors in surgical scars part I: recognition of ethnicity through facial anthropometry

Many factors participate in the determination of the final appearance of a surgical scar. Of these, race has been quoted as an important factor although no controlled studies seem to be available to substantiate such a claim. Our study, conducted in Karachi, was planned in two parts: first to identify objective characters that would distinguish the two major ethnic groups of Karachi, viz. the caucasoid and the negroid and in the second phase to observe long term scar characteristics in elective surgical wounds. This paper deals with the first part of the study. Forty-eight male volunteers between the ages of 10 and 50 years were enrolled and their genealogy for three generations ascertained through interview. Skin color, hair color and hair form were recorded through inspection. Six craniofacial indices were then measured and designated, respectively, facial, orbital, intercanthal, nasal, soft tissue nose and upper lip indices. Data were integrated and submitted to statistical analysis. Age between the two groups differed significantly in the numerical but not in a practical sense. Of the observed and measured parameters there was a considerable overlap between the two groups. Skin complexion and hair color were not significantly different. Of the craniofacial indices, nasal index, relating nasal width to its length, and upper lip index, relating lip height to its width were both significantly larger in the negroid group. The remaining four indices did not differ significantly between the two groups. We conclude that it is possible to distinguish the two ethnic groups through interview, supported by observation of the hair form and measurement of nose and upper lip dimensions