IJAR.2016.508
Type of Article: Original Research
Volume 5; Issue 1 (February 2017)
Page No.: 3496-3500
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijar.2016.508
MICRO-MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF SKIN IN DEVELOPING HUMAN FETUSES AND ITS CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Fazal ur Rehman *1, Nazim Nasir 2.
*1 Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, INDIA.
2 Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, KKU, Abha, KSA.
Address for Correspondence: Dr. Fazal Ur Rehman, Department Of Anatomy, Jawahar Lal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, INDIA. E-Mail: khanfazal660@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Studies on the human skin microanatomy are few and contradictory. Using fetal skin of different age group, doing H & E staining followed by correlative light microscopy of serial tissue sections, and comparing it at different fetal age, we studied the topographic microanatomy of the skin of human fetuses. Histomorphology was compared from 8 weeks of gestation upto 30 weeks from last menstrual period (LMP). We found that epidermal differentiation begins at 8 weeks of gestation. A single layer of epidermal cells covers embryos up to 9 weeks of gestation after the LMP. At 9 weeks, periderm is also visible and it’s called as a double layer stage. It is followed by appearance of intermediate layer at 13 weeks. Budding cells are found only at 14 weeks. Hair follicles are visible at 16 weeks, whereas eccrine sweat glands appear at 20 weeks. Eccrine ducts are elongated and visible at 23 weeks. Coiling of the duct starts at 29th week. Thus, fetal age can be determined by studying the features of developing skin. Also many skin diseases show morphological changes in early fetal life. Congenital skin diseases can be predicted by the knowledge of normal fetal skin development.
Key words: Fetal Skin, Development, Histology (Microanatomy), Its Clinical.
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