1- The papillary layer. Eccrine glands are the ones responsible for the characteristic body odour unique to individuals. In both circumstances, blood has to be transported over a relatively long distance (2 m) against the earth's gravitational pull. This is especially clear in the case of the superficial dermis of the leg, which may form a cuff to support venous return, as first reported by Hargens et al. The subcutaneous fat is an important layer and plays a role in … The epidermis of the giraffe skin (30–100 μm) was found to be thinner than that of the llama (53–187μm) but thicker than that of the sheep (27–42 μm) and the goat (20–40 μm) (Dimond and Montagna, 1975; Atlee et al., 1997). Inadequate blood supply can be damaging. 6C). Therefore, when linking this to the possibility that thicker skin means tighter skin, the skin in the neck and trunk may be regarded as being tight. In this study of the giraffe, we found a large region of thick skin on the upper half of the trunk/rump and a substantially thickened deep dermal region on the anterior and lateral surfaces of the neck. It is thicker (averages 1 to 4 mm) than the epidermis which is about as thin as piece of paper. Despite this, the measurements made indicated that the changes in skin thickness across the different body regions were largely due to changes in the thickness of the deep dermal layer (see the similarity between the maps created for the thickness of the deep dermis and total skin thickness provided in Fig. The dermis is made up of amorphous tissue that consists of fibres, matrix and cellular structures. The dermis of both the gazelle and llama was clearly divisible into superficial and deep layers (Dimond and Montagna, 1975; Atlee et al., 1997), corresponding to that seen for the giraffe; however, the thicknesses of these dermal layers were not individually measured in these species. It provides skin with its specific shape and contour. drawing program to illustrate the changes in thickness of these dermal layers. A previous study concluded that the average thickness of the skin in the head, neck, and legs was mostly uniform, but that the thickest skin was found in the trunk (Mitchell and Skinner, 2004). These include age, hormonal influence, medications and certain diseases. Elastic fibres are responsible for bringing back the skin to its original position after assault of any kind. Like every other layer, dermis too has some functions of its own. The split rat skin sample with a thickness of 0.4 or 0.9 mm was made by the electric dermatome. The Rved / Rtot values for the YMP skins were relatively large for lipophilic drugs (ISDN and FP), and these ratios … 1B). lyzed in Table 2 by pairwise comparisons. If the hair follicles fail to support hair growth, then there can be gradual reduction of hair. The deep dermis of the trunk became thinner as it approached the dorsal and ventral surfaces. The giraffe was found to demonstrate similarities to other species of this order that have been studied with respect to their skin. 8). The skin of the giraffe was found to vary substantially in thickness across the body surface. The prevalence of elastin in this dermal layer is possibly to allow for movement of the skin of the giraffe to complement movement of the joints. The study of Mitchell and Skinner noted dramatic differences between dark patch skin and the lighter surrounding nonpatch skin in surface temperature. Collagen fibers are inflexible and their presence would allow the skin to form a tight stocking around the body (Mitchell and Skinner, 2004; Mitchell et. (A) Taken from the upper rump shows a high density of elastic fibers; (B) taken from midlevel of the neck shows a medium density of fibers; and (C) taken from the anterior trunk shows a low level of fibers. Morphometric software (Image J) was used to measure (i) the combined thickness of the superficial and deep dermis (mm), (ii) the thinnest and thickest regions of the superficial dermis (mm), and (iii) the thinnest and thickest regions of the deep dermis (mm). It supplies the epidermis with oxygen and important nutrients that make sure that epidermis survives. Capillaries also have a very important role in thermoregulation. Even better the results were excellent. Different thickness of the skin also requires you to pay attention to choosing the right dermaroller needle length. The subcutis was thicker in women's abdomens than in men's (21.3 vs 17.9 mm; p = 0.012), and even more so on the thigh (17.7 vs 9.8 mm, respectively; p<0.0001) ( Figure 3 ). Anat Rec 293:1615–1627, 2010. The densities of both collagen and elastin fibers in the dermal tissue varied across the body surface. Using the Masson's trichrome technique, Mitchell and Skinner (2004) found that the skin was typically collagenous, making it inflexible and also suggested that the inflexibility of the skin impacted on tissue pressure, and this allowed the skin to provide resistance against high blood pressure. The regions of the skin that displayed a very high density of collagen fibers were the dorsal aspect of the rump, the ventral surface of the trunk, and the proximal end of the foreleg and hind leg. In this study, we examined variation in skin thickness across the entire body surface of giraffe coupled with histological examination of the skin to test which thesis, hemodynamics, dermal armor, or thermoregulation, best describes the variation in skin thickness in the giraffe, or whether the variation in skin thickness may have multiple roles. The dermis is divided into two layers. The blocks of tissue were placed in 10% buffered formalin overnight and then placed in chloroform for 2.5 hr. This inverse relationship between thick superficial dermis and thin skin and thin superficial dermis and thick skin was apparent in the trunk and legs, but not in the head and neck where no discernable relationship was observed. Skin samples from three giraffes were used in this study. The average thickness of the deep dermis of the skin fluctuated across the body regions (Fig. The DEJ consists of two layers. When examining the sections that were stained for elastic and collagen fibers, a qualitative scale ranging from very low to very high was formulated to describe the density of the fibers. mm). In addition to the potential hydrostatic and protective roles of the skin in the giraffe, it has been clearly shown that there are major thermoregulatory roles for the dark patches in giraffe skin (Ackerman, 1976; Mitchell and Skinner, 2004). Use the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Blood flow control may be accomplished by tight skin in the neck that may prevent arterial distension of the blood supply to the head, as well as tight skin in the legs that assists in venous return to the heart. In 3 females, the mean thickness was 1361.87 μm ± 43 μm on the control side, 1389.52 μm ± 45.1 μm at 2 weeks, 1862.55 μm ± 84.8 μm at 1 year, and 2066.70 μm ± 31.1 μm at 4 years. Also, Dr Haq’s pleasant and friendly manner makes the treatment as painless as possible!” – CFSP. They thank Mr. Adhil Bhagwandin for assistance in obtaining the specimens and Mrs. Alison Mortimer and Mrs. Sherry Rogers for assistance with the histological aspects of the study. Thickness of dermis is from 0.5 to 5 mm, the thickest on the back, shoulders, and thighs. The majority of the deep dermis lacked elastic fibers and even in regions where there are fibers present the density is either low or very low (Figs. Apocrine glands are found all over the body and are the ones mostly used in temperature regulation. It is divided into two layers, the superficial area adjacent to the epidermis called the papillary region and a deep thicker area known as the reticular dermis. These features may contribute to the control of blood flow or the skin acting as dermal armor dependent on the location. artificial dermis, autologous intermediate-thickness skin grafting, autologous split-thickness skin grafting, severe burn, therapeutic outcome 1 | INTRODUCTION Burns are one of the most extensive forms of soft tissue injury. In the trunk, there was a general increase in skin thickness from the ventral toward the dorsal surface (Fig. and you may need to create a new Wiley Online Library account. 5, 6A,B). An interpolated map was created and drawn using the Canvas 8 drawing program to illustrate the changes in skin thickness. Collagen fibres have high tensile strength and less ability to elongate. Measurements of the skin were taken from the entire body surface of Gym1 by dividing the skin into 100 cm2 pieces from which the thicknesses were measured (Fig. Measurements of the foreleg and hind leg revealed relatively thin skin (3–6.1 mm) (Table 1, Fig. In this case, the dark patches of the skin are seen to act as regions where heat loss to the environment can be enabled, this being achieved by vasodilation of the blood vessels beneath the dark patch skin surface. According to this equation, the thickness of the skin of the giraffe fully analyzed here, that had a body mass of 280 kg, should be 4.5 mm. Skin thickness may play a role in this, as overall skin thickness at patches was thicker than nonpatch skin by ∼100 μm (Mitchell and Skinner, 2004); however, it would appear that differences in other aspects of skin anatomy and physiology, such as blood vessels and sweat glands, would play a greater role in thermoregulatory mechanisms than skin thickness alone. The ventral surface, which is also thick, although thinner than the dorsal surface, thins out toward the midlateral surface of the neck. (A) Taken from the lower foreleg shows a low density of elastic fibers; (B) taken from midlevel of the foreleg shows a very low density of fibers. In one of the younger giraffes, one‐half of the skin was analyzed from which close to 170 sites were measured. The dermis is a tough but elastic support structure that houses nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, and cutaneous appendages (pilosebaceous units, eccrine and apocrine sweat glands). Pictorial maps were created and drawn using the Canvas 8 1616 SATHAR, BADLANGANA, AND MANGER. This was evident throughout the neck, the upper three quarters of the trunk, the midlateral surface of the rump, the proximal half of the tail, and the distal end of the foreleg and hind leg (Fig. (1987). Here we find blood vessels, interlaced elastic fibres, fibroblasts, mast cells, collagen fibres in parallel layers, the lymphatic network and nerve endings. Interpolative manually smoothed maps of the variation in skin thickness based on measurements of skin thickness done macroscopically with sliding calipers (thickness of entire skin) and microscopically (thickness of deep and superficial dermis). The thickness of the skin varies considerably over all parts of the body, and between men and women and the young and the old. This layer contains the main structures that support the skin’s functions. Let’s dig a little deeper into dermis and its functions. This is where you find blood capillaries, collagen, elastic fibres and reticular fibres. This dermal layer was composed of connective tissue, hair follicles, sebaceous and apocrine glands, and melanocytes (Fig. This layer supports the epidermis by nourishing it with nutrients, oxygen and in removing its metabolic wastes. 5, 7). Endothelial cells are the specialized cells which control blood flow through the blood capillaries. The major components of the dermis work together as a network. The remainder of the superficial dermis displayed a high density of collagen fibers with the exception of an area at the ventral surface at the junction of the neck and head tending toward a medium density (Fig. 2). The main goal of treatments acting on dermis is to enhance collagen production usually that improves skin firmness and youthfulness. The analysis of the skin from Gym1 forms the basis for the results presented in this study, with “spot tests” of areas of interest being undertaken on the skin from Gym2 and Gam to confirm the patterns observed in observations of Gym1. While dermal thickness varies, it is on average about 2 mm thick. We employed the genetic optimization algorithm in Matlab together with the measured and predicted impedance from Eq. Skin thickness (epidermis–dermis) across the deltoid, suprascapular, waist and thigh as possible body sites for a new microdelivery system for intradermal (id) inoculation were evaluated using 20 MHz ultrasound echography in 205 women and 137 men aged 18–70 years, in three ethnic groups: Caucasian, Asian and Black. Thus, the epidermis is not dealt with further here. The average thickness of the superficial dermis varied across the body regions (Table 1, Fig. Scale bar = 100 μm. Collagen fibers were found to occupy both dermal layers of the giraffe skin in high or very high densities in all the regions studied. The elastic fibers in the deep dermis of the legs may allow the skin to be pliable and resilient during joint movement while walking. The dermis helps in the regulation of temperature and in supporting the functions of the epidermis through adequate supply of nutrients and oxygen, as described above. This is not the case in the rhinoceros, where skin thickness greatly exceeds that predicted by Calder's allometric equations (Shadwick et al., 1992). This layer is much thicker than the papillary layer. Despite this, the thickest portion of the skin of the giraffe is close to that seen in other large African mammals such as the white rhinoceros which has a skin thickness around 25 mm (Shadwick et al., 1992), the African elephant with a skin thickness close to 20 mm (Smith, 1890), and the hippopotamus which has a skin thickness up to 35 mm (Luck and Wright, 1964). Dermis is connected with layers above and below with the help of movable connective tissue. Other skin components such as sweat glands, hair root, blood, and lymphatic vessels are placed within these cells and fibrous tissue. The average thickness of the superfi-cial and deep dermis was determined by calculating the average of the thinnest and thickest regions. Pedley et al. This was accomplished by locating the sections showing the lowest and highest densities of fibers. Each strip was ∼10 cm in width but did vary with the curvature of the body surface. The dermis is found directly below the epidermis. (A) Taken from the midrump shows a very high density of collagen fibers; (B) taken from midlevel of the neck shows a high density of fibers; and (C) taken from the midlevel of the head shows a medium level of fibers. 2). The dermis has two main zones, the papillary dermis and the reticular dermis. They are responsible for secreting substances that precede the formation of collagen and elastic fibres. Please check your email for instructions on resetting your password. The thinnest superficial dermis was found in the trunk (0.47 mm), and this corresponded to one of the overall thickest regions of the skin. If this resistance is not in place venous return is insufficient, compromising arterial supply to the head and resulting in a loss of consciousness. Given that male giraffes do show intense intraspecific combat (Coe, 1967; Simmons and Scheepers, 1996), it is possible that variations in the thickness of the skin may be related to physical protection and hemodynamic factors relating to the gravitational effects upon blood flow. It was discovered that the skin varied in thickness across the entire body and within regions of the body. The rest of the sections were then assigned to a low‐, medium‐, or high‐density category of fibers. The loss leads to signs and symptoms that include: Collagen status in the body is of significant importance in the cosmetic industry. The average thickness of the deep dermis in the foreleg (2.28–4.47 mm) and hind leg (1.8–5.32 mm) was relatively consistent and much thinner than that of the neck, trunk, and rump (Fig. Subscribe to our special offers, discounts, products and services. It provides mechanical protection to underlying structures and organs. Fibres are formed by fibroblasts which are of two types, short living and long living. We thus felt that the analysis provided herein conveys the necessary adequacy for the conclusions derived below. The epidermis of the giraffe skin has been described in detail previously (Dimond and Montagna, 1975), and our observations concur. The following histological stains adopted from Bancroft and Stevens (1982) were used: (1) Mayer's hematoxylin and eosin stain for collagen fibers (deep pink), elastic fibers (pink), and muscle (deep pink); (2) Verhoeff's method which stains for elastic fibers (black); (3) Weigert's resorcin fuchsin method which stains for elastic fibers (brown to purple); and (4) Van Gieson's technique which stains for collagen fibers (red). Lymphatic vessels are involved in different directions need time for them to.... 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