From the panniculus carnosum (PC) to the superficial fascia system (SFS)

There is a renewed interest in the anatomy of the subcutaneous fat. These studies have been stimulated by the recent clinical popularity of liposuction. Attention has been drawn to the superficial fascia system and to its role in wound healing and in skin contraction. What is the origin of this SFS? This article proposes that the panniculus carnosum (except for the platysma) did not disappear in man. Instead, it is present throughout the body as the superficial fascia system. Therefore, the superficial fascia system is nothing else but the evolutionary form of the panniculus carnosum.