The human melanocyte and melanoblast populations per unit area of epidermis in the rete ridge are greater than in the inter‐rete ridge

pay.thelady61 shared this article with you from Inoreader The human melanocyte and melanoblast populations per unit area of epidermis in the rete ridge are greater than in the inter‐rete ridge Via International Journal of Cosmetic Science Abstract Objective In human skin, melanocytes and melanoblasts are mostly located in the epidermis in addition to hair follicles. In hairy skin such as mouse skin, the inter‐follicular epidermis is generally flat. In contrast, in human skin, the epidermis is wavy and possesses well‐developed rete ridges. It is not well understood what difference exists in cell function between melanocytes present in the inter‐rete ridge and those in the rete ridge. To clarify this problem we first tried to determine the melanocyte and melanoblast populations per unit area of epidermis both in the rete ridge and inter‐rete ridge epidermis. Methods Thirty‐eight samples from normal skin sites of 28 patients (14 males and 14 females) aged from 5 to 76 years were fixed and processed to dopa and combined dopa‐premelanin reactions. The numbers of cells positive to the dopa (melanocytes) and combined dopa‐premelanin (melanoblasts and melanocytes) reactions were scored. Results The average melanocyte population/0.1 mm2 of the inter‐rete ridge was 74 cells, whereas that of the rete ridge was 147 cells. Moreover, the average melanoblast population/0.1 mm2 in the inter‐rete ridge was 43 cells, whereas that of the rete ridge was 131 cells. The melanoblast population in the rete ridge differed between female and male, but the melanocyte populations in the rete ridge and inter‐rete ridge as well as the melanoblast population in the inter‐rete ridge did not differ between female and male. However, no age difference in the melanocyte and melanoblast populations was observed between the rete ridge and inter‐rete ridge. Conclusion Human epidermal melanocytes and melanoblasts in the rete‐ridge exist more numerously than in the inter‐rete ridge. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.