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Desquamation
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This article is about the medical condition. For the meaning in material sciences, see spalling. For onion skin
weathering of rocks, see Onion-skin weathering.

Desquamation occurs when the outermost layer of a tissue, such as the skin, is shed. The term is
from Latin desquamare 'to scrape the scales off a fish'.

Contents Desquamation

Physiologic desquamation Other names Skin peeling

Abnormal desquamation

Eyes

See also

References

External links

Specialty Dermatology
Physiologic desquamation

Keratinocytes are the predominant cells of the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Living
keratinocytes reside in the basal, spinous, or granular layers of the epidermis. The outermost layer of
the epidermis is called the stratum corneum and it is composed of terminally differentiated
keratinocytes, the corneocytes. In the absence of disease, desquamation occurs when corneocytes
are individually shed unnoticeably from the surface of the skin.[1] Typically the time it takes for a
corneocyte to be formed and then shed is about 14 weeks but this time can vary depending on the
anatomical location that the skin is covering. For example, desquamation occurs more slowly at acral
(palm and sole) surfaces and more rapidly where the skin is thin, such as the eyelids. Normal
desquamation can be visualized by immersing skin in warm or hot water. This induces the outermost
layer of corneocytes to shed, such as is the case after a hot shower or bath.[citation needed]

Corneocytes are held together by corneodesmosomes. In order for desquamation to occur these
corneodesmosome connections must be degraded.[1] Keratinocytes residing in the stratum
granulosum produce corneodesmosome-degrading kallikrein family members, especially KLK1, KLK5,
and KLK7.[2] Kallikreins are serine proteases. They are packaged within lamellar bodies and released
into the intercellular space between the keratinocytes as they transition into becoming corneocytes.[1]
To prevent premature desquamation, granular layer keratinocytes also produce kallikrein-inhibitory
proteins.[2] At acral surfaces, desquamation occurs more slowly because granular layer keratinocytes
downregulate expression of KLK1 and KLK7 and upregulate expression of protease inhibitors, including
the KLK5-specific SPINK9 and the cysteine protease inhibitors CSTA and CST3.[2] Slowing the process
of corneocyte desquamation allows acral (palm and sole) skin to form a thick protective stratum
corneum.[2]

Abnormal desquamation

Scale forms on the skin surface in various disease settings, and is the result of abnormal
desquamation. In pathologic desquamation, such as that seen in X-linked ichthyosis, the stratum
corneum becomes thicker (hyperkeratosis), imparting a "dry" or scaly appearance to the skin, and
instead of detaching as single cells, corneocytes are shed in clusters, which forms visible scales.[1]
Desquamation of the epidermis may result from disease or injury of the skin. For example, once the
rash of measles fades, there is desquamation. Skin peeling typically follows healing of a first degree
burn or sunburn. Toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal immune system reaction to a bacterial
infection such as Staphylococcus aureus,[3] can cause severe desquamation; so can mercury
poisoning. Other serious skin diseases involving extreme desquamation include Stevens–Johnson
syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).[4] Radiation can cause dry or moist desquamation.[5]
Desquamation is also abnormal in patients with immune-mediated skin diseases such as psoriasis and
atopic dermatitis.[2] Abnormal desquamation often results in scale formation on the skin's surface.[2]
Lipid composition alterations in scale have been used to construct diagnostic models for human skin
disease.[2]

Desquamation of skin on Desquamation of skin on Desquamation of skin on

hands, caused by scarlet fingertips, caused by the finger, caused by the
fever infection scarlet fever popping of an acute
paronychia

Eyes

Certain eye tissues, including the conjunctiva and cornea, may undergo pathological desquamation in
diseases such as dry eye syndrome.[6] The anatomy of the human eye makes desquamation of the
lens impossible.[7]

See also

Desquamative gingivitis

Exfoliation joint

Moist desquamation

Pityriasis—flaking of the skin

Spalling

Sunburn

References

1. ^ a b c d Jackson, Simon M.; Williams, Mary L.; Feingold, Kenneth R.; Elias, Peter M. (1993). "Pathobiology of the
Stratum Corneum" . The Western Journal of Medicine. 158 (3): 279–85. PMC 1311754 . PMID 8460510 .

2. ^ a b c d e f g Merleev, Alexander A.; Le, Stephanie T.; Alexanian, Claire; Toussi, Atrin; Xie, Yixuan; Marusina, Alina I.;
Watkins, Steven M.; Patel, Forum; Billi, Allison C.; Wiedemann, Julie; Izumiya, Yoshihiro; Kumar, Ashish; Uppala,
Ranjitha; Kahlenberg, J. Michelle; Liu, Fu-Tong (2022-08-22). "Biogeographic and disease-specific alterations in
epidermal lipid composition and single-cell analysis of acral keratinocytes" . JCI Insight. 7 (16): e159762.
doi:10.1172/jci.insight.159762 . ISSN 2379-3708 . PMC 9462509 . PMID 35900871 .

3. ^ Dinges, MM; Orwin, PM; Schlievert, PM (January 2000). "Exotoxins of Staphylococcus aureus" . Clinical
Microbiology Reviews. 13 (1): 16–34, table of contents. doi:10.1128/cmr.13.1.16 . PMC 88931 .
PMID 10627489 .

4. ^ Parillo, Steven J; Parillo, Catherine V. (2010-05-25). "Stevens-Johnson Syndrome" . eMedicine. Medcape.

Retrieved 2010-09-06.

5. ^ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005-06-30). "Cutaneous Radiation Injury" . CDC. Retrieved 2011-
05-15.

6. ^ Gilbard, Jeffrey P. (November 1, 2003). "Dry Eye: Natural History, Diagnosis and Treatment" . Wolters Kluwer
Pharma Solutions. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2012.

7. ^ Lynnerup, Niels; Kjeldsen, Henrik; Heegaard, Steffen; Jacobsen, Christina; Heinemeier, Jan (2008). Gazit, Ehud
(ed.). "Radiocarbon Dating of the Human Eye Lens Crystallines Reveal Proteins without Carbon Turnover throughout
Life" . PLOS ONE. 3 (1): e1529. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.1529L . doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001529 .
PMC 2211393 . PMID 18231610 .

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Last edited on 11 January 2024, at 15:19

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