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Ancient adaptations of human skin: why do we retain sebaceous and apocrine glands?
Author(s) -
Lupi Omar
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4632.2008.03765.x
Subject(s) - apocrine , medicine , humanities , citation , library science , art , pathology , computer science
Human evolution has been characterized by a marked decrease in body hair and an increase in the importance of pigment in the naked epidermis as a shield against the harmful effects of solar radiation. 1 Humans are not hairless and, when we use this term with respect to humans, it means the lack of a dense layer of thick fur. 1,2 The number and density of hair follicles are similar to those of our nearest primate relatives; the uniqueness of human skin is that human body hair is miniaturized, very fine, and short, and the skin appears to be naked. 2 In addition, human skin contains a special distribution of sudoriparous eccrine glands which, together with the decrease in body hair, creates a very specific thermoregulatory method that allows us to deal very well with high temperatures, even in situations of strenuous physical activity. 1–3