HISTOLOGY DEPARTMENT

MEDICAL FACULTY
PADJADJARAN UNIVERSITY

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 I. GENERAL FEATURES OF THE SKIN

A. GENERAL FUNCTIONS
• Protect against (microorganism, toxic
substances, dehydration, ultraviolet radiation,
friction

• Sensory receptor

• Excretion

• Vitamin D metabolism

• Regulation of blood pressure and body

temperature
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•GENERAL ORGANIZATION
Two types : 1. Thick skin
2. Thin skin
Two layers : 1. Epidermis
2. Dermis

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 1. EPIDERMAL

• Ectoderm
• Keratinized stratified squamous epithelium
• Avascular
• Unencapsulated nerve endings

Five strata's :
1. Stratum corneum
2. Stratum lucidum
3. Stratum granulosum
4. Stratum spinosum
5. Stratum basale
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2. Dermal Epidermal Junction

1. Basement membrane

2. Dermal papillae

3. Epidermal ridges

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 3. Dermis

1. Vascular connective tissue

2. Mesoderm
• Papillary layer
• Reticular layer

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4. Hypodermis / Subcutaneous Fascia

1. Loose connective tissue

2. Adipose tissue

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 Comparison of thick and thin skin

Thick skin Thin skin

•Location Palm and soles Rest of the body
•Total thickness  0.8 – 1.4 mm  0.07 – 1.12 mm
•Epidermis
Str. Corneum Thick (15 - > 40 layers) Thin 10 – 20 layers
Str. Lucidum + -
Str. Granulosum Continues Discontinuous
Str. Basale > merkel’s cells < merkel’s cells
Dermatoglyphics + -
Dermis
Hair follicle - + (except in glans penis,
labia minora, clitoris, lip)
Sebaceous glands Fewer More
Eccrine sweat glands More Fewer
Elastic fibers Fewer More
Meissner’s corpuscles +++ +

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C. STRUCTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE
SKIN

• Glands, sebaceous, sweat

• Hairs

• Nails

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 INTEGUMENTUM

5. Stratum corneum
1. Epidermis
6. Stratum germinativum

2. Papillary layer of
7. Dermal papillae
the dermis
(corium)
8. Hair follicle (l.s)

9. Erector muscle
(arrector pili muscle)

10. Sebaceous gland

3. Reticular layer of
the dermis 11. Sweat gland
(corium) (sudoriferous gland)
a. Secretory sections
b. Duct sections

12. Bulb and papilla of

hair follicle (l.s)

4. Subcutaneous 13. Hair follicle (o.s)

layer

Thin skin, general body surface 10

 INTEGUMENTUM

1. Stratum corneum 10. Desquamating

layer
2. Stratum lucidum 11. Sections
3. Stratum through the duct
granulosum of a sweat gland
(sudoriferous
4. Stratum gland)
spinosum
12. Cell in mitosis
5. Basal layer 13. Tactile corpuscle
(stratum basale) (Meissner’s
corpuscle)
6. Dermal papilla 14. Dermal papillae
7. Cell with
keratohyalin
granules
15. Dermis
8. Cells of the
stratum spinosum
9. Intercellular
bridges

Thick skin, palm : superficial layers 11

 II. EPIDERMIS

1. Two major cell populations :

• Keratinocytes
• Melanocytes
2. Minor cell populations :
• Langerhan’s cells
• Merkel’s cells

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A. KERATINIZING SYSTEM
• Keratinocytes
• Continuous renewal of the skin surface
 Cell renewal (mitosis)
 Differentiation/keratinization
 Cell death
 Exfoliation

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 SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF THE
KERATINIZING SYSTEM

Exfoliation

Str. Corneum Cell death

Str. Lucidum
Keratinization
Str. Granulosum
Str. Spinosum
Cell renewal
Str. Germinativum (mitotic activity)

15 – 30 days

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1. Stratum basale = stratum germinativum
• Columnar basophilic
• Single layer
• Desmoses
• Hemidesmoses
• Tonofilaments

2. Stratum spinosum
• Polygonal Slightly flattened
• Tonofibril insert into the desmosomes
spiny appearance
Stratum basale and stratum spinosum malphigian layers mitosis
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3. Stratum Granulosum
• 3 – 5 layers
• Flattened polygonal
• Basophilic keratonyalin granules
• Avoid lamellar granules (glycosaminoglycaus and
phospholipids) sealing from :
• External environment
• Protection from dehydration
4. Stratum Lucidum
• Acidophilic
• Translucent flattened
• Nuclei, organelles
• Dense cytokeratin embedded in matrix (from keratin
granules) called eleidin 16
5. Stratum Corneum
• Dead cells
• Plate like
• Enucleate
• Thickened plasma membrane
• Mature keratin / scleroprotein
exfoliated

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B. PIGMENTATION SYSTEM

Skin color :
- Pigments melanin
- Carotene
- Thickness of the epidermis
- Number of dermal blood vessels
- Color of the blood in those vessels

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1. Melanin (Skin, eye, hair) melanocytes
2. Melanocytes :
• Neural crest migrate epidermis among the
pertinacities stratum basal
• Dermatomes -
• Round cell bodies, central nuclei
• Long cytoplasm processes
• Mitochondria, golgi complex, RER
• Melanosomes

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Diagram of a melanocyte (shown in color). Its arms extend upward into the interstices
between keratinocytes. The melanin granules are synthesized in the melanocyte, migrate
to its arms, and are transferred into the cytoplasm of keratinocytes. Ribosomes, Golgi
complex, rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria are also present. 20
Differences in skin color reflect differences in the rates of
melanine synthesis, accumulation and degradation.

3. Melanine synthesis
Tyrosine DOPA
DOPA Dopaquinone
Dopaquinone Delanine

Ribosomes Tyrosinase

Golgi complex

Melanosomes
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Stage I : - Tytosinase activity +
- Melanine -
Stage II : - Tyrosinase activity +
- melanine 
Stage III : - Melanine ++
Stage IV : mature melanine granules tips of the
melanocytes
Long processes keratinocytes (cytocrine secretion)

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 Dividing Keratinocytes
Melanin protecting the DNA from the damaging
effect of the sun rays

4. Melanin function :
• Absorb free radicals
5. Factors affecting melanin synthesis
• Increased exposure to ultraviolet rays
• MSH
• Hydroquinone

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C. LANGERHAN’S CELLS
- Star shaped gold chloride
- Mesodermal
- Stratum spinosum
- Lack tonofilaments
- Birbeck granule
antigen presenting cells

D. MERKEL’S CELLS
• Scattered in stratum basale
•  thick skin
• Basal free nerve endings (disk like)
• Function sensory mechanoreceptor
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 III. DERMIS

- Hair follicles
- Sebaceous and sweat glands

A. Papillary layer
• Loose connective tissue
• >> elastic fibers
• Collagen fibers
• Dermal papilla
• Free nerve endings
• Meisner corpuscles
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B. Reticular layer
• > thicker
• Irregular connective tissue
• Richly vascularized
• >> arteriouvenous anastomoses
• Nerves free and encapsulated

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 IV. BLOOD SUPPLY

• Epidermis avascular
• Dermal blood vessels

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 V. HAIR (Only in thin skin)

A. Follicle and hair development

1. Follicles
• Third month epidermal thickening invade
the dermis small dermal papilla invades
epidermal down growth
• Different hair follicle
2. Hairs
• 5 – 6th month of gestation lanugo shed
just before birth except scalp, eyebrows,
eyelashes

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B. Follicle and hair structure
1. Germinal matrix
2. Hair shaft layers (medulla, cortex, cuticle)
3. Root sheaths
• Internal
• External
• Glassy membrane
• Connective tissue sheath
4. Associated structure
• Sebaceous gland
• Arrector pili muscles
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 Medulla
Drawing of a hair and its follicle.
Glassy membrane Cortex
Cuticle of hair The follicle has a bulbous terminal
External root sheath
Connective expansion with a dermal papilla.
tissue sheath The papilla contains capillaries
and is covered by cells that form
the hair root and develop into the
hair shaft. The central cells (A)
produce large, vacuolated,
moderately keratinized cells
(indicated by the arrow) that form
Glassy
the medulla of the hair. The cells
membrane that produce the cortex of the hair
are located laterally (B). Cells
forming the hair cuticle originate
in the next layer ( C) The
peripheral epithelial cell develop
into the internal and external root
sheaths. The external root sheath
(shown in color) is continuous
Hair with the epidermis, while the cells
bulb of the internal root sheath
Melanocytes External root disappear at the level of the
sheath openings of the sebaceous gland
Internal root ducts (not shown).
sheath
Dermal papilla 30
 INTEGUMENT
1. Stratum corneum
2. Stratum
germinativum 14. Epidermis
traversed by duct
3. Dermal papillae of a sweat gland
4. Dermis : reticular
layer 15. Sebaceous
5. Hair follicles (tg.s) gland
6. Sebaceous glands
16. Duct of a sweat
glands (l.s)
7. Erector muscles
17. Hair (cortex)
(arrector pili
muscles)
18. Internal root sheath
8. Hair follicles (l.s)
19. Connective
sheath of hair
9. Ducts of sweat glands follicle
(sudoriferous)
20. External root sheath
10. Hair bulbs (bases of of hair follicle
hair follicles) 21. Medulla and matrix
of hair
11. Papillae of hair
follicles 22. Lamellar corpuscles
(Pacinian corpuscles)
12. Secretory sections 23. Adipose tissue in
of sweat glands subcutaneous layer
24. Vein
13. Skeletal muscle 25. Arteriole
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 INTEGUMENT
1. External root sheath
of a hair follicle

2. Duct of the
sebaceous gland

3. Cytolysis of
secretory cells
Sebaceous

4. Nuclei of secretory
cells
Gland

5. Basal cells
6. Alveolus of sebaceous
gland
7. Connective tissue
sheath
8. External root sheath
9. Internal root sheath

10. Cortex of hair

11. Erector muscle 32
C. Keratinization of hair
• Hair
• Epidermis
Differences :

Hair cortex cuticle Epidermis

Hard – Soft
– Continuous Sloughed
Intermittent Continuous
Differ in structure and function Identical

D. Hair Growth

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 VI. NAILS
 Highly keratinized cell
 Harder than the stratum corneum
A. Nail Development
 Similar to that of hair
 Third month embryonic development
 Epidermis on the dorsal surface of the terminal
phalanges invades the dermis
 Forming a furrow nail groove
 Epithelial cells proliferate nail matrix (in
hairs germinal matrix)
 Proliferation nail matrix pushes upper cells
toward the surface differentiate
highly keratinized nail plate
 The epidermis over which it slides becomes the nail
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bed.
B.Nail Complex Structure
 Nail plate (nail body (visible), nail root (hidden in the
nail groove)
 The matrix
 Nail bed
 Eponychium (or cuticle)
 Hyponychium (distal)
 Lunula (whitish, opaque, crescent shaped region on
the proximal nail body)

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 VII. SEBACEOUS GLANDS

 Holocrin secretion
 Duct empty hair follicle
 Sebum
 Lubricates the skin

VIII. SWEAT GLANDS

 Two types
- Eccrine (merocrine)
- Apocrin
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A. Eccrine sweat glands
- Distribution, occur most of the body, except, glans
penis, clitoris, lips
- Structure :
1. Duct : coiled, simple to stratified cuboidal
epithelium
2. Secretory portian (in dermis, pyramidal)
3. Secretory product : watery secretion (NaCl,
urea, ammonia, uriacid)
- Excreting by products of protein metabolism
- Evaporation of water reduces body
temperature

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 SWEAT GLAND (DIAGRAM)
1. Excretory duct
passing through the 6. Excretory duct
epidermis passing through the
epidermis

2. Excretory duct in the 7. Excretory duct in the

dermis dermis

8. Secretory portion
B
3. Secretory portion 9. Excretory ducts

4. Excretory duct

5. Secretory portion

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C
B. Apocrine sweat glands
- Distribution : axilla, pubic and anal regions, areola of the
breasts
- Structure : simple coiled tubular
- Duct : Coiled ducts + low cuboidal epithelium
- Secretory portions : in dermis, wide lumen, cuboidal to
columnar cells + myoepithelial
- Secretory products : viscous, odorless fluid
Apocrine secretory cells released their apical
cytoplasm.

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