This is a picture of an H&E stained section of the epidermis of thick skin.

Can you identify the five major layers of the epidermis?

Dermis: Thick skin has a thinner dermis than thin skin, and does not contain hairs, sebaceous glands, or apocrine
sweat glands
Thick skin is only found in areas where there is a lot of abrasion ! fingertips, palms and the soles of your feet
This is a picture of an H&E stained section of the epidermis of thin skin
There are only four layers in the epidermis of thin skin The stratum lucidum layer is absent "hat do you notice
about thicknesses of the different layers?
How pronounced are the dermal papillae compared to thick skin?
Dermis: Thin skin actually has a thicker dermis than thick skin, which makes thin skin easier to suture, if it gets
damaged Thin skin also has fewer eccrine#merocrine sweat glands
Skin is subclassifed into two basic types: thin skin and thick skin. Thin
skin is the predominant type of skin that covering the human body.
It has a relatively thin epidermis and generally contains hair follicles,
sebaceous glands, and sweat glands. Thick skin is only found in two
primary locations: the
palms
of the hands and the soles of the feet, areas of the body that are routinely subjected to e$tensive
abrasion Thick skin has a significantly thicker epidermis than thin skin, it contains sweat glands,
but lacks hair follicles and sebaceous glands
The epidermis is a keratinizing stratifed suamous epithelium.
The principal cell type in the epidermis is the keratinocyte, so named
because the cell is specialized to produce large amounts of
the protein keratin. !riginating from the highly mitotic basal layer of
the epidermis, keratinocytes are pushed to the surface of the
epidermis, synthesizing and eventually flling with keratin, emerging at
the apical layer as a relatively tough, contiguous layer of dead, keratin"
flled cells. #s the keratinocytes go through this process, they undergo
subtle, subcellular structural changes which result in the production of
histologically"distinct epidermal layers, called strata. Thin skin consists
of four epidermal strata. These four strata, from base to surface, are
the stratum basale $stratum germinativum%, the stratum spinosum, the
stratum granulosum, the stratum lucidum $only found in thick skin%,
and the stratum corneum.
The dermis consists of two layers of connective tissue proper:
the more superfcial papillary layer and the deeper reticular layer. The
papillary layer is a relatively thin layer of loose connective tissue that
lies immediately beneath the epidermis. It not only binds the epidermis
to deeper tissues, but also supports the microcirculation and nerve
supply of the epidermis. The reticular layer of the dermis is a relatively
thick layer of dense irregular connective tissue. The thickness of the
reticular layer varies among the di&erent skin regions. It also supports
the larger blood vessels and nerves that supply the microcirculation
and nerve supply penetrating the upper papillary layer.
Two types of encapsulated touch'pressure receptors are commonly
found in the dermis. (elatively small )eissner*s corpuscles are located
near the crests of the dermal papillae. +arger ,acinian corpuscles are
encapsulated pressure receptors located deep in the reticular layer.
)eissner*s corpuscles are particularly concentrated in the dermis of the
tips of the fngers and toes and along the palmar and plantar surfaces
of thehands and feet, respectively. They are e-tremely sensitive to
low"intensity mechanical stimulation, and provide the surfaces of the
skin innervated by them with the ability to discriminate among subtle
di&erence in the te-ture of surfaces. ,acinian corpuscles are the
largest encapsulated pressure receptors in the body. They are ovoid
structures, some of which are visible with the unaided eye, measuring
. " / mm along their long a-is. They are widely distributed about the
skin, the soma in general, and the viscera. They are sensitive to deeply
penetrating vibration and pressure.
The epidermis is a keratinised stratified squamous epithelium. The main
function of the epidermis is to protect the body from harmful influences from
the environment and against fluid loss. Five structurally different layers can be
identified:
.. The stratum basale
is the deepest layer of the epidermis (closest to the dermis). It consists of
a single layer of columnar or cuboidal cells which rest on the basement
membrane. Basal cells are the stem cells of the epidermis. Their mitotic activity
replenishes the cells in more superficial layers as these are eventually shed from
the epidermis. The renewal of the human epidermis takes about to ! weeks.

/. In the stratum spinosum"
the cells become irregularly polygonal. The cells are often separated
by narrow" translucent clefts. These clefts are spanned by spine#like
cytoplasmatic e$tensions of the cells (hence the name of the layer
and of its cells: spinous cells)" which interconnect the cells of this
layer. %pines of cells meet end#to#end or side#to#side and are
attached to each other by desmosomes. In addition to the usual
organelles of cells" &' shows membrane#bound lamellar granules in
the cytoplasm of the spinous cells.
. The stratum granulosum
consists" in thick skin" of a few layers of flattened cells. (nly one layer may be
visible in thin skin. The cytoplasm of the cells contains numerous fine
grains" keratohyalin granules. The keratohyalin is not located in membrane#
bound organelles but forms )free) accumulations in the cytoplasm of the cells.
The cells begin to release the contents of the lamellar granules. The lipids
contained in the granules come to fill the entire interstitial space" which is
important for the function of the epidermis as a barrier towards the external
environment.

!. The stratum lucidum
consists of several layers of flattened dead cells. *uclei already begin to
degenerate in the outer part of the stratum granulosum. In the stratum lucidum"
faint nuclear outlines are visible in only a few of the cells. The stratum lucidum
can usually not be identified in thin skin.

+. In the stratum corneum"
cells are completely filled with keratin filaments (horny cells) which are
embedded in a dense matri$ of proteins. Individual cells are difficult to observe
because (,) nuclei can no longer be identified" (-) the cells are very flat and ()
the space between the cells has been filled with lipids" which cement the cells
together into a continuous membrane. In the &'" the cell membranes appear
thickened and interdigitate with those of neighbouring cells. .losest to the
surface of the epidermis" the stratum corneum has a somewhat looser
appearance. /orny cells are constantly shed from this part of the stratum
corneum.
The protection of the body by the epidermis is essentially due to the functional
features of the stratum corneum.
0ariations in the thickness of the epidermis (12., mm in thin skin" , mm or more in thick
skin) are mainly the result of variations in the thickness of the stratum corneum"
although the other layers also vary in thickness. .ells of the epidermis of the
skin will at some time of their life keratinise and are collectively also
calledkeratinocytes.
3eratinisation should not be used as a synonym for the formation of the stratum corneum: other stratified s4uamous
epithelia may become keratinised but may not form a stratum corneum in which cells 5oin to form a horny cell
membrane.