Visualization of Skin Layers and Small Nerve Fibers

SO, HERE'S A LITTLE KIND OF DIAGRAM OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

THESE ARE THE LAYERS OF THE SKIN, AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS DARK PAIR OF PURPLE LAYER ON TOP IS THE EPIDERMAL LAYER, WHICH IS THE LAYER THAT WE ARE TESTING TO LOOK FOR THOSE NERVES, FOLLOWED BY THE PAPILLARY DERMIS, RIGHT BELOW IT, AND LASTLY, ALL THE WAY ON THE BOTTOM, IS OUR RETICULAR DERMIS, SO WE'RE NOT REALLY GETTING THAT FAR INTO THE DERMIS WHEN WE'RE DOING THE TEST.

WE'RE MOSTLY LOOKING AT THAT EPIDERMAL LAYER, TO LOOK AT THOSE NERVE ENDINGS.

AND HERE, AS YOU CAN SEE, THESE ARROWS ARE POINTING TO HEALTHY NERVE ENDINGS, AND, AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS IS A HEALTHY NERVE ENDING.

WE DON'T HAVE ANY KIND OF SWELLING IN THE NERVE, THE NERVE IS NICE AND THIN. IT'S VERY DEFINED, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR.

SO WE'RE LOOKING FOR ABOUT 10 OF THESE IN ABOUT A MILLIMETER OF BIOPSY THAT WE ARE SENDING. AND THE MORE THEY HAVE, OF COURSE, THE HEALTHIER THE NERVES ARE.

AND THE LESS NUMBER THAT WE SEE, OR THE PATHOLOGISTS SEES, ON THE TEST, MORE SEVERE THEIR DISEASE IS
IF THEY SEE SOME KIND OF SWELLING IN THESE NERVES, AGAIN, THAT SHOWS DEGENERATION OF THE NERVE. SO, EVEN IF THE NUMBER OF THE NERVES ARE THERE, HOWEVER, THE NERVES ARE SWOLLEN, OR VERY THINNED OUT, THESE ARE DEGENERATED NERVES.

SO, THAT'S ANOTHER THING THAT THE PATHOLOGIST IS LOOKING AT. SO NOT ONLY ARE WE LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF NERVES PRESENT, BUT ALSO THE HEALTH OF THE NERVES, AND WHAT CONDITION THEY ARE IN TO REALLY DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF DISEASE THEY HAVE AND WHAT DEGREE OF THE DISEASE THEY HAVE.