Appendages of Skin

Dr Shazia Imran
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
¡By the end of this session the students
will be able to:
1. Enumerate the appendages of skin.
2. Correlate the histological features of
skin appendages with their functions.
Epidermal Derivatives/Skin
Appendages

1. Hair
2. Sebaceous glands
3. Sweat glands
4. Nails
Hair
¡keratinized
threads
¡Invagination of
Epidermal
epithelium
called hair
follicle in
underlying
mesenchyme
¡Shaft & Root
Hair Shaft & Medulla
Shaft Cortex
Root of Hair
Cuticle

¡Epithelial cells
arranged in 3
concentric
layers
Root of
Hair
 Medulla Cortex Cuticle

• Central axis • Main bulk of • Single layer

• Large, hair of flattened,
vacuolated • Long, flattened, Shingle like
cuboidal fusiform cells cells
cells • Heavily • Heavily
• Moderately keratinized keratinized
keratinized • Closely packed • Non
• Intercellular • Melanin nucleated
spaces has pigment
air granules
• Thick hair • Air filled spaces
 Hair Root & Hair Follicle
¡Hair root surrounded
by tubular hair
follicle that lies in
dermis/hypodermis
¡Production &
growth of hair
1. Infundibulum
2. Isthmus
3. Inferior segment
¡Hair bulb-
vascularized loose CT
¡Hair root & its sheath
is blended –Matrix
¡Homologous to
Stratum Basale of skin
¡Abundant
melanocytes with
dendritic process-
transfer melanin to
cortex
¡Dermal papilla
Hair Follicle is
formed by
epidermal &
dermal root
sheaths
1. Epithelial/Epidermal Root
Sheath
¡Derived from
epidermis
1. Inner Epidermal
Root Sheath
2. Outer Epidermal
Root Sheath
 Inner Epidermal Root Sheath
¡Till point of entry of
sebaceous gland duct
¡Stratum Corneum &
Granulosum of
epidermis
Outer
Epidermal
Root Sheath
¡ Correspond to
stratum Spinosum &
Basale of epidermis
¡ Abundant Merkel
cells
¡ Glassy membrane-
separate it from
dermal root sheath
 2. Dermal Root Sheath
• Dense irregular CT
• Till level of
attachment of
arrector pili muscle
Arrector Pili
¡Attached at
one end to
papillary layer
and at other
end to
dermal root
sheath
¡Sympathetic
innervation
¡Tactile
sensations
Hair Transplant

Cuticle Damage
Sebaceous Glands
¡Simple Branched
acinar gland
¡Open into hair
follicle & onto skin in
hairless skin throughPilosebaceous Unit
Holocrine mode.
¡Abundant-Scalp &
face
¡Absent-Palms & sole
Sebaceous Glands
¡Simple Branched
acinar gland
¡Open into hair
follicle & onto skin in
hairless skin throughPilosebaceous Unit
Holocrine mode.
¡Abundant-Scalp &
face
¡Absent-Palms & sole
¡Basal portion -
cuboidal cells
with spherical
nucleus & exhibit
mitosis
¡New cells move
towards center &
have abundant
lipid droplets -
Sebocytes
¡Central cells
accumulate
fat & have
pyknotic
nuclei

¡Fatty mass &

cellular debris-
Sebum
Functions: Maintain proper skin
texture, hair flexibility, Weak
antifungal & antibacterial properties

¡Acne Vulgaris ¡Sebaceous Cyst

Sweat Glands

¡2 types
1. Eccrine sweat
glands
2. Apocrine
sweat glands
 ECCRINE APOCRINE

¡ Distributed all over ¡ Limited distribution-

body-abundant in Axilla, aerola,
palms & sole circumanal area

¡ Simple tubular ¡ Simple coiled tubular

glands
glands
¡ Erroneously called
¡ Merocrine variety apocrine though mode
of secretion is merocrine
¡ At puberty
¡ Temperature regulation
¡ Cholinergic innervation
¡ Adrenergic innervation
 ECCRINE APOCRINE
Secretory Portion Secretory Portion

¡ Deep in dermis ¡ Coiled deep in dermis

¡ Simple cuboidal/low ¡ Simple cuboidal/columnar

columnar epithelium epithelium

¡ CLEAR & DARK cells, ¡ No such cells, larger lumen

small lumen ¡ Myoepithelial cells
¡ Myoepithelial cells
 Produce watery secretion

Light
Cells

b/w basement
membrane &
bases of cells
Myoepithelial Fusiform cells
Cells with cytoplasmic
processes
Dark
Cells Actin & myosin
filaments

Secretions has bactericidal properties

 ECCRINE APOCRINE
Duct
Duct
¡ Short & thick
¡ Coiled & long
¡ Stratified cuboidal epithelium
¡ Stratified cuboidal
epithelium ¡ Opens into hair follicle distal to
entry of sebaceous glands
¡ Opens at sweat pore
¡ Viscous secretion-Odor due to
¡ Watery secretion bacterial decomposition
¡Anhidrosis ¡Hidradenitis
 Nails
¡Hard, translucent
horny keratinized
plates
¡Homologous with
stratum corneum of
epidermis
¡Keratin has high
sulphur content & is
hard and does not
desquamate
1. Nail Plate
2. Nail Bed
Nail Plate-3 parts

Pink-
Transmit
color of
underlying
vascular
tissue

Partially
keratinized
cells
 Nail Bed
¡Stratum Basale & Spinosum
¡Epidermis is very thick proximally-nail
matrix-germinative zone with high rate of
cell division
¡0.5mm/week
Hyponychium

Eponychium