subcutis
Fat layer beneath
The subcutis is the deepest layer of skin, lying beneath the dermis.
It consists mainly of fat and connective tissue, providing insulation, cushioning, and energy storage.
Medical and anatomical texts use subcutis interchangeably with hypodermis: The injection reaches the subcutis but not the muscle beneath.
Innermost skin layer
- subdermalSituated under skin
- dermisLiving tissue under epidermis
- epidermisOutermost tissue layer
- connective tissueSupportive biological matrix
fat layer · fascia · adipocytes · insulation · cushioning · thermoregulation · padding · blubber
Collagen-producing connective tissue cells
- collagenStructural body protein
- elastinProtein enabling tissue recoil
- lobulesSmall subdivisions of lobes
- septaAnatomical partition walls
blood vessels · lymphatics · nerve endings · macrophages · ground substance · vascularization
Body's outer layer
- melanocytesPigment-producing skin cells
- Pacinian corpusclesOnion-layered pressure receptors
- Meissner corpusclesNerve endings detecting light touch
- hair folliclesSkin cavities producing strands
hypodermis
Innermost skin layer
connective tissue · fat layer · fascia · adipocytes · insulation · cushioning · thermoregulation · padding · blubber · fat cells
fibroblasts
Collagen-producing connective tissue cells
- collagenStructural body protein
- elastinProtein enabling tissue recoil
- lobulesSmall subdivisions of lobes
septa · blood vessels · lymphatics · nerve endings · macrophages · ground substance · vascularization
skin
Body's outer layer
- melanocytesPigment-producing skin cells
- Pacinian corpusclesOnion-layered pressure receptors
- Meissner corpusclesNerve endings detecting light touch
subcutisepidermis
Outermost tissue layer
skin surface · dermis · surface layer · cuticle · epithelium
- subcutaneous fatLipid layer beneath skin
- subcutaneous injectionMedication into tissue below dermis