MH 090 Thin Skin

Thin Skin

Thin skin (1 to 2 mm) covers most of the body, whereas thick skin is restricted to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

The keratin layers often become dislodged during preparation of thin skin. In the natural state, the keratin layers would be attached to the underlying layers. The thickness of the stratum corneum is less than the cellular layers.

• Epidermis - stratified squamous keratinized epithelium divided into four strata (or layers).
  • Stratum Basale - single layer of germinal cells resting on the basement membrane which is attached to the dermis.
  • Stratum Spinosum - keratinocytes attached to each other by desmosomes on spiny processes.
  • Stratum Granulosum - keratinocytes with numerous basophilic granules in their cytoplasm.
  • Stratum Corneum - thin layer of dead cells devoid of nuclei and organelles.
• Dermis - dense irregular connective tissue that supports the epidermis.
  • Dermal Papillae - less prominent than in thick skin. They increase adhesion between the epidermis and dermis.
  • Eccrine Sweat Glands - coiled tubular glands (lightly stained) and ducts (dark stained) with simple or stratified cuboidal epithelium.
  • Hair Follicle - thin skin has hair follicles.