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What Is Epiderm

What is the epidermis layer of skin?

Your skin has three main layers, and the epidermis (ep-uh-derm-us) is the outermost layer in your body. The other two layers of skin are the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis is the thinnest layer of skin, but it’s responsible for protecting you from the outside world, and it’s composed of five layers of its own.

What are the layers of the epidermis?

The layers of the epidermis in order are:

  • Stratum basale (stratum germinativum; pronounced stray-tum bay-say-lee or stray-tum germ-in-a-tie-vum). The stratum basale is in the deepest layer of your epidermis. New skin cells develop in this layer. It also contains the keratinocyte (cur-at-in-o-site) stem cells, which produce the protein keratin. Keratin helps form hair, nails and your skin’s outer layer, which protect you from the harsh environment. It also contains melanocytes (mel-ann-o-sites), which are responsible for producing melanin, which provides the pigment of your epidermis.
  • Stratum spinosum (pronounced stray-tum spin-o-sum). The stratum spinosum is between the stratum basale and granulosum layers. This layer mostly consists of keratinocytes held together by sticky proteins called desmosomes (dez-mo-soam). The stratum spinosum helps make your skin flexible and strong.
  • Stratum granulosum (pronounced stray-tum gran-yoo-lo-sum). The stratum granulosum is between the stratum spinosum layer and the stratum lucidum layer. Keratinocytes have granules within them, which are visible under a microscope in this layer.
  • Stratum lucidum (pronounced stray-tum loo-sid-um). The stratum lucidum is between the stratum granulosum and the stratum corneum. It’s a thin, transparent layer of keratinocytes that are becoming less round and have a flatter shape.
  • Stratum corneum (pronounced stray-tum corn-ee-um). The stratum corneum is the top layer of the epidermis. This is the layer you see. In the stratum corneum, keratinocytes become corneocytes (corn-ee-o-site). Corneocytes are strong, dead keratinocytes that protect you from harm, including abrasions, light, heat and pathogens. This layer also consists of fats that keep water from easily entering or leaving your body. The corneocytes eventually shed as new keratinocyte cells develop in the stratum basale layer and move through the other layers of skin.
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What is the definition of epidermis?

The word “epidermis” combines the Ancient Greek prefix epi-, which means “outer,” and the Ancient Greek word derma, which means “skin.” So the word translates to “outer skin.”

What is the difference between epidermis and dermis?

The epidermis and the dermis are the top two layers of skin in your body. The epidermis is the top layer, and the dermis is the middle layer. The dermis exists between the epidermis and the hypodermis.

While the epidermis is the thinnest layer of skin, the dermis is the thickest layer of skin. The dermis contains collagen and elastin, which help make it so thick and supportive of your skin’s overall structure.

All of your connective tissues, nerve endings, sweat glands, oil glands and hair follicles exist in the dermis as well as the hypodermis.

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