The Significance of the Size and Shape of Corneocytes

In the past half century we have learned about most of what the stratum corneum does but very little about how it does it. We can document its various functions but are mostly silent when questioned as to which structural components are responsible for these functions. Corneocytes differ quite markedly from the keratinocytes that produce them. The most obvious difference is the disc-like shape of the corneocyte, allowing it to present a large surface area in the horizontal dimension. It seems reasonable to suggest that this difference in shape and surface area has important functional implications in the SC. This paper sets out to examine these and also to discuss those factors known to influence the size and shape of corneocytes.