Thickness of Corneocytes

Abstract

Although the horizontal dimensions (diameter and surface area) of individual corneocytes are well known, their vertical dimensions are not, owing to the lack of appropriate investigative techniques. Blair described a thickness of 0.8 to 1.4 µm for the entire stratum corneum, using frozen sections and light microscopy assessment. The data suggest that the technique has a very low sensitivity [1]. Holbrook and Odland [4], using electron microscopy techniques, measured the stratum corneum thickness from photographic enlargements and counted the number of horny cell layers. They suggested a thickness of about 0.20 µm for individual corneocytes. Owing to two mathematical errors in their paper, these data cannot be accepted without reservation.

This work was supported by a grant from Vick International