Interaction of stratum corneum with water vapour

The stratum corneum or ‘cornified layer’ is a multicellular, metabolically inactive surface layer of the skin comprised of flattened, stacked cells which are the intact remains of what was once living epidermis tissue. The stratum corneum exhibits regional differences in thickness over the body, being as thick as several hundred micrometres on the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet in adults, the average thickness over the body being about 10 µm. This tissue is also very dense, about 1.5 g cm−3 in the dry state 1.