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Immunology and skin diseases

Published on April 30, 2026   26 min

A selection of talks on Dermatology

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0:00
Hello. My name is Paola Di Meglio, and I'm a senior lecturer in cutaneous immunology at King's College London. In this lecture, I will be talking about the immunology of the skin. Initially, I will be describing the basic structure and cellular components of the skin and how they relate to skin function. Next, I will be comparing and contrasting the immunopathogenesis of two prevalent skin inflammatory disorders, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.
0:29
The skin is among the largest organs of the human body and the most exposed surface to the external environment. The skin is truly a multitasking organ as it performs a variety of functions aimed at maintaining homeostasis. Skin is the body's primary barrier against physical insult and microbial pathogens. It is a critical sensory receptive area through which we feel pain, pressure, and temperature. The skin also ensures the body's hydration and thermoregulation, and it accesses essential metabolic functions such as the synthesis of vitamins, such as vitamin D and hormones. Most importantly, the skin performs important immune functions as we are about to see.
1:18
Before reviewing the immune skin compartment, let's remind ourselves about the structure of the skin. The skin is composed of epidermis and dermis separated by a basal membrane.
1:32
The epidermis is the skin's most external layer. It's separated from the underlying dermis by the basement membrane, and is made up of skin cells or keratinocytes. Interspersed within keratinocytes are also melanocytes, which produce melanin as well as hematopoietic immune cells such as Langerhans cells and CD8-positive T cells. Keratinocytes are organized in four or five layers from the bottom. These are the stratum basale, the stratum spinosum, the stratum granulosum, the stratum lucidum, only present on palms and soles, and the stratum corneum, which is the outermost layer, which, together with the acidic hydrolipidic nature of the skin resulting from sweat, sebum, lipids, and antimicrobial peptides, constitutes the physical and biochemical skin barrier.

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Immunology and skin diseases

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