Thin skin is the skin type covering most of the body whereas thick skin is present in the soles of feet and hands.
The thin skin helps in protecting the body from the attack of pathogens and products sweat that cools the body as well as has antimicrobial properties. The sebum produced by the sebaceous gland helps in lubricating the hairs produced by the hair follicles.
The hair produced by the hair follicles is different from the hair on the head and even has a different growth rate. The thin skin does not have a stratum lucidum layer in the epidermis.
What is Thick Skin
Thick skin is the type of skin that covers body parts like the fingertips, soles and palms and the areas that need greater protection. It is present between the outer layer of the epidermis known as stratum corneum and the lower layer called the stratum granulosum.
Thick skin does not have the sweat glands, sebaceous glands and hair follicles. It has a stratum lucidum layer that is absent in the thin skin. Thin skin does not have many structures that are present in the thin skin.
The thick skin protects the body from pathogens and is a part of the nonspecific defenses of the body. It protects the body from damage at parts where there is a lot of abrasion and friction found in areas that grip surfaces like feet and hands.
Main Differences Between Thin and Thick Skin
- Thin skin has relatively thin epidermis that can be found on other body parts than palms and soles whereas Thick skin relatively thick epidermis that can be found on palms and soles.
- Thin skin occurs on nearly the entire body whereas Thick skin occurs on the soles of feet, palms of hands and the surface lining of the fingers.
- Thin skin has hair follicles whereas Thick skin has no hair follicles.
- Thin skin has a thin layer of Malpighian. It does not have a Lucidium layer whereas Thick skin has a thick layer of Malpighian.
- Thin skin has sparser sensory receptors whereas Thick skin has denser sensory receptors.
- Thin skin has a thicker dermis whereas Thick skin has a thinner dermis.
- Thin skin has irregular dermal papillae whereas Thick skin has regular dermal papillae.
- Thin skin has lesser number of sweat glands whereas Thick skin has many spirally-coiled sweat glands.
- Thin skin hair follicles have arrector pili muscles attached to them whereas Thick skin does not have arrector pili muscles.
- Thin skin does not have lacks ridges and furrows on its surface whereas Thick skin has ridges and furrows on its surface.
- Thin skin contains sebaceous glands whereas Thick skin does not contains sebaceous glands.
- Thin skin has various functions to perform of the skin whereas Thick skin performs the mechanical abrasion.
Conclusion
Thin skin is the skin covering most of the body parts except the soles of feet, palms, and the surface lining of fingers and toes. It has a thinner epidermis and contains sebaceous glands, sweat glands, hair follicles, and arrector pili muscles.
Thick skin is the skin present in the soles of feet, palms, and the surface lining of fingers and toes. It has a thicker epidermis and contains sweat glands, ridges, furrows, and regular dermal papillae.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5401286/
- https://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/377/1/1.short