Figure 11­13
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The outermost layer of the epidermis is thickest in thick skin and reduced in width in thin skin. This is the stratum
Holdings,
corneum (*), which consists of layers of fused keratinocytes that are depleted of organelles and filled with soft ker-
atin. The plasma membrane of the cells is thickened and coated with glycolipid. As the cells approach the surface,
they lose their desmosomal attachments prior to exfoliation.
LLC.
Not
The stratum lucidum (arrowhead) can be identified in thick skin and is clearly shown here. However, not every spe-
to
cimen will have such a well-defined stratum lucidum. This layer between the stratum corneum and stratum granu-
be
losum may be either a transition zone or subdivision of the stratum corneum.
redistributed
The stratum lucidum is limited to thick skin. It is not found in thin skin.
or
modified
in
any
way
without
permission.
613

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