Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (486 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The outer covering of the body that protects it from the environment. It is composed of the dermis and the epidermis.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Integumentary System
- Narrower topics
- Dermis; Epidermis; Sebaceous Glands; Sweat Glands
- See also
- Dermatologic Agents; Skin Manifestations; Keratinocytes
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 265,527 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Skin” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 41,596 of them (15.7%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 116,545 records.
Reviews account for 24,601 records (9.3%) and meta-analyses for 375. Randomized controlled trials number 4,348 (1.6%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 116,545 |
| 2000-2009 | 44,133 |
| 2010-2019 | 63,253 |
| 2020 onward | 41,596 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 24,601 | 9.3% |
| Meta-analyses | 375 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 4,348 | 1.6% |
Method: PubMed query "Skin"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcription-independent induction of rapid-onset senescence is integral to healing | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 10 | cc by PMID 42209725 · DOI · PMC13279267 |
| The confounding effects of skin colour in photoacoustic imaging | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 4 | cc by PMID 42310010 · DOI · PMC13433769 |
| Fibroblast-derived CCL2 orchestrates immune responses and defends against Staphylococcus aureus skin infection | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 42332095 · DOI · PMC13424308 |
Transcription-independent induction of rapid-onset senescence is integral to healing [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Cellular senescence plays key roles in tissue repair, tumour suppression and ageing.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings establish rapid‑onset senescence as a mechanistic requirement for efficient tissue regeneration.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (123 words)
Cellular senescence plays key roles in tissue repair, tumour suppression and ageing. Here we identify a rapid, transcription‑independent senescence response in skin following injury. Within minutes to hours after wounding, skin cells at the edge of injury display hallmark features of senescence. This response involves the utilization of pre‑existing Cdkn1a mRNA through the removal of nuclear export inhibitors, which enables Cdkn1a transcript translation and rapid p21 protein accumulation. These cells enter stable cell‑cycle arrest and secrete pro‑migratory and pro‑inflammatory factors that promote tissue repair, including re‑epithelialization. Experimental suppression of this rapid senescence, either genetically or pharmacologically, markedly delays wound closure, whereas inhibition during later phases of repair has no effect. Our findings establish rapid‑onset senescence as a mechanistic requirement for efficient tissue regeneration.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42209725 · DOI · PMC13279267
The confounding effects of skin colour in photoacoustic imaging [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Skin colour is known to confound optical devices, adversely impacting care for patients with darker skin.
- Closing excerpt
- Our findings underscore the need for advanced reconstruction methods to enable equitable clinical PAI.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (151 words)
Skin colour is known to confound optical devices, adversely impacting care for patients with darker skin. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) combines optics and ultrasound for deep tissue imaging, creating a complex relationship between PAI-derived biomarkers and skin melanin concentration, yet no generalisable bias correction has been demonstrated. Drawing on a healthy volunteer cohort of 42 participants spanning Fitzpatrick types I-VI and vitiligo - the most diverse ever assembled in PAI - we characterise optical and acoustic mechanisms driving skin colour-dependent degradation in image quality and biomarker quantification. Wavelength-dependent melanin absorption causes spectral colouring, dominating at low melanin levels, while epidermal ultrasound backscattering dominates at high melanin levels, producing a non-linear relationship between unmixed sO₂ and skin tone. Leveraging this understanding, we propose a practical spectral colouring correction and adapt a plane-wave reconstruction algorithm to resolve backscattered ultrasound artefacts. Our findings underscore the need for advanced reconstruction methods to enable equitable clinical PAI.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42310010 · DOI · PMC13433769
Fibroblast-derived CCL2 orchestrates immune responses and defends against Staphylococcus aureus skin infection [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Host defense against invasive bacterial infections of the skin is essential for survival.
- Closing excerpt
- These findings highlight fibroblast-derived CCL2 as a critical regulator of immunity and suggest its broader implications in inflammatory and infectious diseases.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (212 words)
Host defense against invasive bacterial infections of the skin is essential for survival. It involves a complex yet incompletely understood process of microbial recognition followed by innate and adaptive systems for communication between resident and recruited cells to mount an effective defense. Stromal fibroblasts have not been classically considered immunocytes but are gaining recognition for their critical role in inflammation. Here, we identify fibroblast-derived C-C motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) as a key mediator of host defense against invasive Staphylococcus aureus infection. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that fibroblasts are a predominant source of CCL2 under steady-state conditions in both human and mouse skin. The use of mice with a conditional deletion of CCL2 in fibroblasts demonstrated that the expression of CCL2 by fibroblasts alters macrophage cytokine production and antigen-presentation-associated responses and is important for monocyte recruitment. Additionally, we revealed a novel role for fibroblast-derived CCL2 in promoting fibroblast-to-adipocyte differentiation via ERK and p38 signaling, leading to reactive adipogenesis and enhanced production of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin. In mice with targeted deletion of Ccl2 in fibroblasts, these host immune responses are impaired, and S. aureus infection of the skin is greatly increased. These findings highlight fibroblast-derived CCL2 as a critical regulator of immunity and suggest its broader implications in inflammatory and infectious diseases.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42332095 · DOI · PMC13424308
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Interventions for non-metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the skin: systematic review and pooled analysis of observational studies [4]
- Research article Effect of water, sanitation, and hygiene on the prevention of trachoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis [5]
- Research article Effect of single-dose ivermectin on Onchocerca volvulus: a systematic review and meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Prevention and treatment of acute radiation-induced skin reactions: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [7]
- Research article Risk of hand-foot skin reaction with sorafenib: a systematic review and meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Transepidermal water loss in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis update [9]
References
- Valdivieso K, Rozmaric T, Victorelli S, Jadhav V, Ring NAR, Machcińska-Zielińska S, et al.. Transcription-independent induction of rapid-onset senescence is integral to healing. . 2026. PMID 42209725 · DOI · PMC13279267
- Else TR, Loreno C, Groves A, Cox BT, Vetsiou E, Gröhl J, et al.. The confounding effects of skin colour in photoacoustic imaging. . 2026. PMID 42310010 · DOI · PMC13433769
- Dokoshi T, Palomo-Irigoyen M, Dai K, Hashimoto T, Konishi H, Hivert L, et al.. Fibroblast-derived CCL2 orchestrates immune responses and defends against Staphylococcus aureus skin infection. . 2026. PMID 42332095 · DOI · PMC13424308
- Lansbury L, Bath-Hextall F, Perkins W, Stanton W, Leonardi-Bee J. Interventions for non-metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the skin: systematic review and pooled analysis of observational studies. BMJ. 2013. PMID 24191270 · DOI · PMC3816607
- Stocks ME, Ogden S, Haddad D, Addiss DG, McGuire C, Freeman MC. Effect of water, sanitation, and hygiene on the prevention of trachoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med. 2014. PMID 24586120 · DOI · PMC3934994
- Basáñez MG, Pion SD, Boakes E, Filipe JA, Churcher TS, Boussinesq M. Effect of single-dose ivermectin on Onchocerca volvulus: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infect Dis. 2008. PMID 18471776 · DOI
- Chan RJ, Webster J, Chung B, Marquart L, Ahmed M, Garantziotis S. Prevention and treatment of acute radiation-induced skin reactions: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Cancer. 2014. PMID 24484999 · DOI · PMC3909507
- Chu D, Lacouture ME, Fillos T, Wu S. Risk of hand-foot skin reaction with sorafenib: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Oncol. 2008. PMID 18210295 · DOI
- Akdeniz M, Gabriel S, Lichterfeld-Kottner A, Blume-Peytavi U, Kottner J. Transepidermal water loss in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis update. Br J Dermatol. 2018. PMID 30022486 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.