The mammalian skin and its parts, The cells of this layer of the skin get their nutrients and supply of oxygen by diffusion through the blood in the capillaries found in the dermis
The skin of mammals is the largest organ of the body
Definition of the mammalian skin
The mammalian skin can be defined as the outer covering of the entire body of a mammal.
The skin is the toughest tissue in the body. The skin of mammals can be divided into two parts
1. Epidermis and
2. Dermis
Parts of the human skin and the mammalian skin
Major parts of the mammalian skin are two but can be subdivided into other parts. These parts of the human skin as follow
The epidermis part of the skin
What is the epidermis?
The epidermis part of the mammalian skin is the outer layer of the skin
This part of the skin is made up of three layers. They are
1. Horny layer or cornified layer of the skin.
The horny layer of the skin is the outermost layer of the epidermis. It is made up of flat, hard, dead and scaly cells
This layer of a cell is impregnated with the protein keratin.
The cells in the horny layer are constantly worn out and replaced by cells from the layers below it.
The thickness of the horny layer varies from one part of the body to another
Where can we find the horny layer of the skin?
This part of the mammalian skin is usually very thick and can be found on the soles of feet and palms.
The horny layer can also be found on the eyelids
Granular layer of the skin
The granular layer of the skin or part of the epidermis consists of living cells produced by the malpighian layer beneath
The cells of the granular layers continue to move Plaza surface of the skin through this layer
And the process of this moment causes the Granada layers to become flat, accumulate kera and eventually die.
As part of the skin function and the mammalian skin works,
The granular layer of the skin seems to be the second layer of the entire skin of the mammalian.
The malpighian layer of the skin part
this part of the skin is also known as Germinative.
The malpighian layer of the skin consists of actively dividing cells.
this part of the skin contains a pigment called melanin
Melanin is the pigment within the skin which gives the skin its colour
The Malpighian layer of the mammalian skin consists of another pigment known as keratin which is responsible for the toughness and flexibility of the skin
As part of the skin, the malpighian layer has many infolding. Some of the infolding penetrate deep into the dermis to form hair follicles and sebaceous glands.
How does the malpighian layer get its nutrient?
The cells of this layer of the skin get their nutrients and supply of oxygen by diffusion through the blood in the capillaries found in the dermis
The dermis part of the skin
Where is Dermis found in the body?
As part of the skin, the dermis is composed mainly of connective tissues containing blood capillaries, hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, sensory nerve Endings and fat cells.
Functions of the dermis part of Skin
Most parts of the dermis functions are listed below
1. Blood capillaries are part of the dermis.
This part of the skin brings food and oxygen to the dermal and epidermal cell and remove their waste
The capillary network supplies hair follicles and sweat glands
Functions of the hair follicle part of the skin
The Malpighian cells, which are the base of each pit keeps on dividing to produce a long cylindrical hair.
The nerve endings in the follicle respond when the hair is touched.
There is also the attachment of hair erector muscle to each follicle
The contraction of this hair follicle pulls the hair to a more upright position
This is seen when we feel cold the hair erector muscles contract and we get goose pimples
3. The sebaceous gland of the skin
This gland helps in the secretion of sebum (the sebum is an oily substance) until the hair follicle.
typical function of the sebum is it keeps the hair and the epidermis feeling waterproof and supple.
One major function of the sebaceous gland is its ability to keep out dust and microorganisms from entering the skin
4. Sweat glands part of Dermis
The sweat glands are found in the dermis as coiled tubes which continuous are sweat tubes or ducts that open the surface of the skin as sweat pores
The cell of the coiled sweat tubes absorbs water from the capillaries surrounding them and secrete them into the tube.
This water which contains small quantities of waste such as mineral salts and urea constitutes what is called sweat. When the sweat reaches the surface of the skin and evaporates it cools the body,
That is one of the major functions of the sweat gland
5. Sensory nerve endings
The skin is also a great sense organ. This means that the skin is part of the five sense organs of mammals.
The sensory nerves as part of the skin contains cells which are sensitive and can also receive stimuli from external surroundings and send them to the appropriate part of the body through the nervous system.
6. Subcutaneous fats of the skin
What is cutaneous fat of the skin?
Below the dermis of the skin is a layer of connective tissue which contains variable numbers of fat cells.
This is what we know as subcutaneous fatty tissues
One of the major functions of this subcutaneous tissue is that it acts as a long-term food store as well as an insulating layer that prevents heat loss from the body.
There may be other functions of the parts of the skin
the functions of the skin and its parts are not limited to the ones I have written on this article
The summary of it all is that the part of the skin contains two major areas
The outer skin is the epidermis and the Dermis is the inner skin
The Epidermis as part of the skin is subdivided into three major parts
The Dermis which is an inner part of the skin is subdivided into six parts.
Feel free to follow me on this very post as I treat next the functions of the skin
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Originally posted 2025-07-27 01:05:57.