Which is the outermost protective layer of the skin that contains many small nerve endings but no blood vessels?

Which is the outermost protective layer of the skin that contains many small nerve endings but no blood vessels?

• A. Epidermis
• B. Dermis
• C. Stratum germinativum
• D. True layer

Answer: (A)

Skin’s outer protective barrier is the epidermis. It contains nerve endings that allow you to sense touch, temperature, and pain, but it has no blood vessels; nourishment and oxygen diffuse up from the underlying dermis. The dermis lies beneath and provides the skin’s blood supply and most of its sensory nerves. The deeper layer called the stratum germinativum is part of the epidermis itself—the deepest portion, not the outermost surface. The term “true layer” isn’t a standard anatomical term. So the correct outermost layer with nerve endings and no blood vessels is the epidermis.

Skin’s outer protective barrier is the epidermis. It contains nerve endings that allow you to sense touch, temperature, and pain, but it has no blood vessels; nourishment and oxygen diffuse up from the underlying dermis. The dermis lies beneath and provides the skin’s blood supply and most of its sensory nerves. The deeper layer called the stratum germinativum is part of the epidermis itself—the deepest portion, not the outermost surface. The term “true layer” isn’t a standard anatomical term. So the correct outermost layer with nerve endings and no blood vessels is the epidermis.