Anatomical location of human skin furrows*

The aim of this report was to determine an eventual structural correspondence between the surface of the epidermis and the dermis. The human skin is essentially composed of the outer epidermis lying on the inner dermis. The structure of the skin surface, i.e. of the stratum corneum, varies from region to region (Chinn & Dobson, 1964). It is characterized by plateaus and furrows. The biomechanical functions of the skin are dependent, in part, on this arrangement. Skin samples were obtained from the back region of cadavers and the dermis and epidermis were separated by a thermal method. A replica technique associated with a scanning electron microscopical study demonstrated a correspondence between the principal superficial furrows in the skin and lines on the dermal surface.