Nanostructure of the stratum corneum extracellular lipid matrix as observed by cryo-electron microscopy of vitreous skin sections.

In recent years, high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy of vitreous skin sections has been used to visualize the formation and structure of the human stratum corneum extracellular lipid matrix. The aim of the present work was to summarize these findings. It is proposed that skin barrier formation does not take place as a 'lamellar body' fusion process, but as a lamellar 'unfolding' of a small lattice parameter lipid 'phase' with cubic-like symmetry with subsequent 'crystallization' and concomitant lamellar re-organization of the extracellular lipid matrix.