Library · Anatomy
Dermis
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The dermis is the middle layer of the skin. It lies under the epidermis, the layer you see and touch, and over the subcutaneous tissue, the fat underneath. It is connective tissue, meaning the tissue that supports and binds.
It is made mostly of fibers. There is collagen, the protein that gives strength, and elastic tissue, which lets the skin stretch and spring back. Living among those fibers are the blood vessels, the nerve endings that provide sensation, the hair follicles that hair grows out of and the glands. Its main cell is the fibroblast, the cell that makes those fibers. It is the fibrous mattress the visible skin rests on.
The dermis has two levels. The upper one is the papillary dermis, made of loose connective tissue with many vessels, attached to the underside of the epidermis. The lower one is the reticular dermis, deep, dense and thick, and it is the one that makes up the bulk of the whole layer.
In brief
The dermis is the layer of connective tissue that lies between the epidermis and the subcutaneous tissue.
It is the fibrous mattress the visible skin rests on.
It is a fibrous structure of collagen and elastic tissue that houses blood vessels, nerve endings, hair follicles and glands, and its main cells are fibroblasts.
It divides into the papillary dermis, superficial and made of loose, richly vascularized connective tissue, and the reticular dermis, deep and dense, which makes up the bulk of the layer.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHistology, Dermis, StatPearlsPublished
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