Korean J Dermatol.  1975 Sep;13(3):177-188.

Histologic Studies on Korean Fetal Skin - The morphological development of the epidermis, hair, sebaceous gland, eccrine sweat gland, and basement membrane

• Lee ES
• Lee YS

Abstract

These studies were undertaken to evaluate the morphological development of the epidermis, hair, sebaceous gland, eccrine sweat gland and basement membrane in the skin of the Korean fetuses. Nineteen fetuses, 4 to 28 weeks of age, ranging in size from 4 to 230mm crown-rump length, obtained from healthy Korean mothers, were used in these studies and histological observation was done in the different fetal weeks and in the various parts of .the body such as face, perioral, scalp, axilla, abdomen, palm and sole. The results are as follows: 1) At 4-5 weeks of fetal age, the epidermis consists of a single layer of undifferentiated cells and by the 6th week it becomes two-layered; the periderm and the stratum germinativum. At 12-13 weeks, the germinative layer proliferates in a centrifugal direction to form a stratum intermedium and also proliferates in a centripetal direction, giving rise to clusters of cells that grow into the subjacent dermis, to form prhair germs and eccrine sweat gIand germs. Keratohyaline granules first make an appearance at 20th week and the stratum granulosum appears at 28 weeks of fetal life. From 20th week onward the periderm gradually disappears and is replaced by a stratum corneum at 28 weeks.

MeSH Terms

Abdomen
Axilla
Basement Membrane*
Crown-Rump Length
Dermis
Epidermis*
Fetus
Gestational Age
Hair*
Humans
Mothers
Scalp
Sebaceous Glands*
Skin*
Sweat Glands*
Sweat*