The epidermal layer ranges between 2 and 7 cell layers thick and varies between 30 μm in the eyelids to 100 μm over most of the body (Dimond and Montagna, 1975). The skin of the giraffe was found to vary substantially in thickness across the body surface. (A) Lateral view of giraffe body indicating the manner in which the skin was cut into strips for measurements. 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 bundles of collagen fibres are interweaved in different directions. Special offers & updates on trending topics in aesthetics, fitness, beauty and lifestyle. (1992) described a highly organized collagenous matrix, and although some indication of this type of organization was seen in this study (Fig. 2; all values provided come from specimen Gym1). Interpolative manually smoothed maps of the qualitative variation in elastic and collagen fiber densities in the superficial dermis and deep dermis over different regions of the skin of the giraffe. 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. 2). 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. 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. 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. Photomicrographs of sections of the superficial dermis of giraffe skin stained for elastic fibers using Verhoeff's method. This membrane forms the dermal-epidermal joint (DEJ). 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. Your skin looks pale in winters because blood capillaries go deeper to prevent heat loss. Measurements of the foreleg and hind leg revealed relatively thin skin (3–6.1 mm) (Table 1, Fig. A pair of digital calipers was used to take measurements of skin thickness (recorded in millimeters). For Contacting US. 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. The two types of sweat glands are the apocrine and eccrine. Blood is the sole source of nutrients for your skin. In this study, the skin thickness was measured from the epidermis to the skin appendage. It is only when further comparative studies are undertaken that the full role the skin plays in either hemodynamics, protection, or thermoregulation (in addition to all the normal roles played by skin in all mammals) in the giraffe will be fully determined. The skin of the head was for the most part thin (1.47–6.47 mm) but became thicker near the neck. In the rump there was an increase in thickness from the most caudal region toward the trunk. The spot tests in the two extra individuals confirmed all the observations made in the fully analyzed individual. When the amount of collagen and elastin is adequate, the skin looks smoother and less wrinkly. 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. The greatest thickness was found on the most lateral aspect. The epidermis of the giraffe skin has been described in detail previously (Dimond and Montagna, 1975), and our observations concur. The skin thickness of the trunk was highly variable (3.27–12.23 mm) (Table 1, Fig. This is of great cosmetic importance because it can change a person’s appearance and self-image. This varying thickness primarily represents a difference in dermal thickness, as epidermal thickness is rather constant throughout life and from one anatomic location to another. The dermis has two main zones, the papillary dermis and the reticular dermis. 1- The papillary layer. Working off-campus? and you may need to create a new Wiley Online Library account. (B) Location from where blocks of skin were taken for histological analysis (small squares represent each location). The thickness of the epidermis - WHITTON - 1973 - British ... Epidermal thickness has been accurately measured on 214 samples of skin from 188 volunteers. Fibres are formed by fibroblasts which are of two types, short living and long living. The long legs of the giraffe result in its heart being ∼2 m above the ground (Howard, 1977), thus providing a gravitational challenge to the venous return from the limbs. In the whole study population, dermal Overall 23.4 (16.4–33.5) 12.4 (8.1–18.8) 0.048 thickness varied according to anatomical … The research by Dimond and Montagna (1975) and Mitchell and Skinner (2004) are the only two studies known to the authors that have described anatomical aspects of the skin of a giraffe. The deep dermis of the foreleg and hind leg was found to contain a mixture of low and very low densities of elastic fibers, with the proximal regions of the limbs, close to the junction of the limbs with the trunk and rump, showing the highest density of elastic fibers throughout the deep dermis (Figs. 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). Scale bar = 100 μm. After euthanasia, the animals were skinned and the skin stored in 10% buffered formalin. 6A). 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. It is of interest to note here that these regions of thickened skin that may correspond to dermal armor are indeed far thicker than what would be predicted allometrically (Calder, 1984), thus supporting the possibility of specific increases in skin thickness as a potential defense mechanism. The thinnest skin was found in the head, specifically the lower lip (1.47 mm), and the thickest skin was toward the base of the neck on the dorsal aspect (18.62 mm) beneath the mane (Table 1). Also, blood vessels are involved in different kind of reactions that can lead to swelling, redness or rashes etc. 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. This is why when collagen is reduced in skin with age, firmness is also decreased. 2). 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. One‐half of the entire skin was taken from Gym 1, and strips of skin covering legs, trunk, and neck were taken from Gym2 and Gam. These variations in thickness of the llama skin parallel to those found in this study for the giraffe. The measurements were repeated three times over several hours to eliminate intraobserver error. Likewise, the skin on the legs conforms to the structure and function of an antigravity suit to assist venous return from the legs because of its very high density of collagen fibers (Hargens et al., 1987). Elastic fibres are responsible for bringing back the skin to its original position after assault of any kind. The arrowhead in each image indicates the border of the superficial and deep dermis (epidermal surface is up in each image). The sections that were stained with hematoxylin and eosin were examined under a low‐power stereomicroscope, and the superficial and deep dermal layers were traced using a camera lucida. If this resistance is not in place venous return is insufficient, compromising arterial supply to the head and resulting in a loss of consciousness. 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