Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. [1] The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens [2] and regulates the amount of water released from the body into the atmosphere through transepidermal water loss.
The topmost layer is called the stratum corneum. During sloughing, it is this layer that is removed. [1] As cells progress through the various layers to reach the stratum corneum, they undergo a process called cornification which transforms keratinocytes to corneocytes, effectively killing them.
The human stratum corneum comprises several levels of flattened corneocytes that are divided into two layers: the stratum disjunctum and stratum compactum. The skin's protective acid mantle and lipid barrier sit on top of the stratum disjunctum. [5] The stratum disjunctum is the uppermost and loosest layer of skin.
This process is called keratinization and takes place within weeks. It was previously believed that the stratum corneum was "a simple, biologically inactive, outer epidermal layer comprising a fibrillar lattice of dead keratin". [9] It is now understood that this is not true, and that the stratum corneum should be considered to be a live tissue ...
The dermis is composed of three major types of cells: [3] fibroblasts, macrophages, and mast cells.. Apart from these cells, the dermis is also composed of matrix components such as collagen (which provides strength), elastin (which provides elasticity), and extrafibrillar matrix, an extracellular gel-like substance primarily composed of glycosaminoglycans (most notably hyaluronan ...
This process is a normal protective mechanism of the skin to prevent pathogens from colonizing the skin, and is referred to as desquamation. In healthy skin, desquamation is an invisible process and the stratum corneum is turned over completely within 2–4 weeks, while maintaining the tissue thickness.
The skin weighs an average of four kilograms, covers an area of two square metres, and is made of three distinct layers: the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. [1] The two main types of human skin are: glabrous skin, the hairless skin on the palms and soles (also referred to as the "palmoplantar" surfaces), and hair-bearing skin. [3]
The stratum spinosum (or spinous layer/prickle cell layer) [1] is a layer of the epidermis found between the stratum granulosum and stratum basale. [2] This layer is composed of polyhedral keratinocytes. [3] [4] These are joined with desmosomes. [3]