Essential clinical anatomy for cutaneous surgery: Part 2. The danger zones

There is often considerable anxiety when first performing cutaneous surgery on the face, mainly due to concerns of damage to important structures such as the facial nerve. Fortunately, the body is well designed to protect itself and most of the important structures are deeply placed and the risk of inadvertent injury is low. However, there are a number of areas where these structures are closer to the surface and at higher risk – the socalled ‘danger zones’.