Superficial and deep fascia are the terms used in anatomy, and clinical medicine, to describe two distinctive types of connective tissue in the body.
Superficial fascia is the term used to describe the fatty connective tissue which lies deep to the skin. It is present almost across our whole bodies although it is thicker in some areas than others. There can be considerable variation in the amount of superficial fascia from one individual to another. Functionally, it is an important fat store and also an important insulation layer. In clinical practice, however, excessive superficial fascia can cause practical difficulties, often with routine procedures such as venepuncture.
Deep fascia is the term used to describe the dense (irregular) connective tissue layer which surrounds individual muscles. It is usually a thin layer of connective tissue but in a few locations it may be thickened eg. to provide a point of attachment for another muscle. The term deep fascia used by gross anatomists, and in clinical medicine, is the same tissue layer that is described by histologists as the epimysium.
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