Thin vs Thick Skin: Difference and Comparison

Thin skin is the skin type covering most of the body, whereas thick skin is present in the soles of feet and hands. Thin skin contains hair follicles and sebaceous glands, whereas thick skin doesn’t.

Key Takeaways

1. Thin skin is found in areas of the body with less exposure to external elements, such as the eyelids or lips, and is more delicate and translucent; thick skin is found in areas exposed to more wear and tear, such as the palms or soles, and is denser and more durable.
2. Thin skin contains fewer layers of cells and has a thinner epidermis; thick skin has a thicker epidermis with an additional layer of skin called the stratum lucidum.
3. Thin skin has a higher sensitivity to touch and temperature changes; thick skin has a lower sensitivity to touch but provides more protection against external trauma.

Thin vs. Thick Skin

Thin skin is found in areas of the body with less wear and tear and is more transparent than thick skin. It is also more sensitive to touch and pressure due to the greater density of nerve endings in these areas. Thick skin is thicker, more durable, and contains sweat glands, making it less sensitive to touch and pressure.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Thin Skin	Thick Skin
Definition	The skin of the body has a relatively thin epidermis. Found in areas like palms and soles.	The skin of the body has a relatively thick epidermis. Found in areas of the body except for palms and soles.
Occurrence	Covers the entire body.	Covers the palms of hands and feet and the lining of the toes and fingers.
Dermis	Has a thicker dermis.	Has a thinner dermis.
The thickness of the epidermis	Epidermis is thin with a thin and granular layer, a thin Malpighian layer, and a very thin horny layer. It doesn’t have a lucid layer (translucent layer of the epidermis).	Epidermis is thick with a thick granular layer, a thick Malpighian layer, and a very thick horny layer. It has a lucid layer as well.
Sweat Glands	Has a lesser number of sweat glands than thick skin.	Has many spirally coiled sweat glands.
Dermal Papillae	Has irregular dermal papillae.	Has regular dermal papillae.
Sensory Receptors	Has scattered sensory receptors.	Has dense sensory receptors.
Functional Significance	Does many other functions of the skin.	Does the work of mechanical abrasion.
Sebaceous Glands	Thin skin contains sebaceous glands.	Thick skin does not contain any sebaceous glands.
Hair Follicles	Thin skin has hair follicles.	Thick skin does not have hair follicles.
Ridges and Furrows	Thin skin does not have a unique appearance on the surface of palms, fingerprints, and soles.	Thick skin has both ridges and furrows on the surface of palms, fingerprints, and soles.
Arrector Pili Muscles	Thin skin has small muscles attached to the hair follicles.	Thick skin doesn’t have the Arrector Pili Muscles.

What is Thin Skin?

Thin skin is the type of skin that covers most of the parts of the body, excluding the areas around the hands and feet. The thickness of the thin skin varies all over the body.

For example, you can see the thinnest layers in areas like the eyelids. The thin skin has hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands present that are absent in thick skin.

Hair follicles produce the actual hairs on the head and the body. The sebaceous glands are associated with the hair follicles and perform an important role in secreting out an oily-type substance called sebum.

Sweat glands occur throughout the thin skin and produce sweat on the body. The thin skin helps protect the body from the attack of pathogens and products sweat that cools the body and has antimicrobial properties.

The sebum produced by the sebaceous gland helps lubricate the hairs produced by the hair follicles. The hair produced by the hair follicles differs from the hair on the head and 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 the stratum corneum, and the lower layer called the stratum granulosum.

Thick skin does not have 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 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

1. Thin skin has a relatively thin epidermis that can be found on other body parts than palms and soles, whereas Thick skin has a relatively thick epidermis that can be found on palms and soles.
2. 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.
3. Thin skin has hair follicles, whereas Thick skin has no hair follicles.
4. Thin skin has a thin layer of Malpighian. It does not have a Lucidium layer, whereas Thick skin has a thick layer of Malpighian.
5. Thin skin has sparser sensory receptors, whereas Thick skin has denser sensory receptors.
6. Thin skin has a thicker dermis, whereas Thick skin has a thinner dermis.
7. Thin skin has irregular dermal papillae, whereas Thick skin has regular dermal papillae.
8. Thin skin has fewer sweat glands, whereas Thick skin has many spirally-coiled sweat glands.
9. Thin skin hair follicles have arrector pili muscles attached to them, whereas Thick skin does not have arrector pili muscles.
10. Thin skin does not have lacks ridges and furrows on its surface, whereas Thick skin has ridges and furrows on its surface.
11. Thin skin contains sebaceous glands, whereas Thick skin does not contain sebaceous glands.
12. Thin skin has various functions, to perform the skin whereas Thick skin performs mechanical abrasion.

References

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5401286/
2. https://sp.lyellcollection.org/content/377/1/1.short