Langer's lines
The lines were first discovered in 1861 by Austrian anatomist Karl Langer (1819–1887),[1][2][3] though he cited the surgeon Baron Dupuytren as being the first to recognise the phenomenon.Langer punctured numerous holes at short distances from each other into the skin of a cadaver with a tool that had a circular-shaped tip, similar to an ice pick.Knowing the direction of Langer's lines within a specific area of the skin is important for surgical operations, particularly cosmetic surgery.Incisions made parallel to Langer's lines may heal better and produce less scarring than those that cut across.Conversely, incisions perpendicular to Langer's lines have a tendency to pucker and remain obvious, although sometimes this is unavoidable.