Karl Langer (1819–1887) and his lines

Biomechanics of Scar Tissue and Uninjured Skin

“…7,8 The initial strain-stiffening phase, or ''toe-in'' region, occurs at low loads and is attributed to progressive recruitment of collagen fibers: due to straightening of slack fibers and rotation of collagen fibers to align with the direction of elongation. 1 When strained, skin dissipates elastic energy stored in the fibrous network via viscous means, as shown through both creep and stress relaxation.…”

Biodynamic Excisional Skin Tension (BEST) Lines: Revisiting Langer’s Lines, Skin Biomechanics, Current Concepts in Cutaneous Surgery, and the (lack of) Science behind Skin Lines used for Surgical Excisions

“…The first published anatomical account describing "cleavage lines" was that of Karl Langer, of Vienna, in 1861 [2] . Langer was to become professor of anatomy at Joseph's Academy in Vienna [3] . Because Langer's original paper was written in German [4] , it took over a century before his work was noted by the English-speaking plastic surgical community [5] .…”

“…Langer was to become professor of anatomy at Joseph's Academy in Vienna [3] . Because Langer's original paper was written in German [4] , it took over a century before his work was noted by the English-speaking plastic surgical community [5] . However, in trying to make Langer's work available, Gibson still omitted a considerable portion as he found the 'descriptive anatomy most boring' [5] .…”

“…Because Langer's original paper was written in German [4] , it took over a century before his work was noted by the English-speaking plastic surgical community [5] . However, in trying to make Langer's work available, Gibson still omitted a considerable portion as he found the 'descriptive anatomy most boring' [5] . Langer used the term "Spaltbarkeit" which was translated into English as "cleavability" by Gibson, and this led to the term "cleavage lines.…”

Names of ''Lines'' in dermatology literature

“…Langer's lines [7,8] Langer's lines, sometimes called cleavage lines, are topological lines drawn on a map of the human body. The lines were first described in 1861 by Austrian anatomist Karl Langer (1819-1887).…”