Course Outline
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- Introduction to Skin Histology
- Review of Skin Histomorphology
- The Importance of Understanding Skin Morphology
- Overview of Skin Layers
- Distinguishing between skin layers is an essential part of embedding, sectioning, and staining skin tissue.
- Place the three layers of skin in order, beginning with the outer layer.
- Skin Sample Identification
- Identifying Skin Sample Types
- Which of the choices best describes a skin sample that has a characteristic cone shape that reveals all skin layers?
- Skin Paraffin Processing
- Paraffin Processing of Formalin-Fixed Skin Samples
- Reviewing the Processing Steps
- Choosing Skin Processing Schedules
- Place the following processing steps in order from beginning to end.
- Skin Embedding Techniques
- Embedding Skin Tissue
- General Embedding Considerations
- Melted paraffin for embedding purposes should be maintained at 10-15º C above the melting point of the paraffin being used.
- Skin Embedding Techniques
- Skin excisions are embedded with the cut surface DOWN and gently pressed, edge to edge, so the tissue surface lays flat in one plane.
- Skin Sectioning Techniques
- Sectioning Skin Tissue
- Skin Sectioning Techniques
- Sectioning one block at a time and floating only one block's ribbon(s) on the water bath prevents the tech from accidentally placing one patient's tis...
- Skin Sectioning Protocols
- Skin Sectioning Artifacts
- Skin Sectioning Troubleshooting
- A histologist is reviewing the stained slides. She notices that several of the slides have tissue fragments and incomplete sections of skin. What is/a...
- Skin Staining - H&E and Special Stains
- Conclusion to Skin Histology
- References
Additional Information
Level of instruction: Basic
Intended audience: Clinical laboratory histotechnologists, histotechnicians, and other medical laboratory personnel who have an interest in this subject matter. This course is also appropriate for histology and clinical laboratory science students, pathology residents, and practicing pathologists.
Author information: Diana Harrington, BS, HT(ASCP) is a histotechnologist at The Dermatology Center of Indiana. Since graduating from Indiana University, she has worked in various hospital laboratories as a medical technologist and histotechnologist. Her experience led her to teach IU students as a Clinical Education Supervisor and create the Histotechnology Program as Program Director for Keiser University in Florida.
Reviewer information: Donna M. Hedger, BS HT(ASCP), is currently a sales specialist at MediaLab. After graduating from Georgia Southern University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, she spent 25 years working in the operations of the healthcare laboratory at Northside Gwinnett (formerly Gwinnett Medical Center). During her tenure there, she worked in various roles, including phlebotomy, lab assistant, pathology assistant, histology technician and more recently as the manager of the Pathology Laboratory for 18 years. She is a certified histology technician.
Course description: This course, the second in the dermatological specimens series, addresses the most common concerns of working with dermatology specimens and provides tips to create high quality slides for the dermatopathologist. Explored topics include optimal processing, sectioning, and recut protocols for skin biopsies, shaves, and excisions. The histomorphology of skin is reviewed and commonly used H&E and special stains are discussed. Possible sources of problems are also investigated and solutions are applied to prevent artifacts on skin sample slides.
