RT Book, Section A1 Lin, Steven W. A1 Goldfarb, Noah A2 Soutor, Carol A2 Hordinsky, Maria K. SR Print(0) ID 1177006707 T1 Skin Diseases of the Hands T2 Clinical Dermatology YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071769150 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1177006707 RD 2024/11/13 AB Hands have structures with many unique structural and functional features. As such, they are prone to developing specific dermatologic diseases. Structurally, the palms have a thick keratin layer, a high concentration of sweat glands, Meissner's corpuscles, and other mechanoreceptors. Functionally, we use our hand to interact with the world. Therefore, hands are subject to physical injury. Hands are often the first body part to come into contact with objects and substances in our environment. As a result, they are frequently the site of exposure to allergens, irritants, and infectious agents. This concept is central to the transmission of pathogens and development of certain dermatologic conditions such as contact dermatitis. Given their distal location, the neurovascular supply of hands (particularly the digits) can also predispose the hands to neuropathies, ischemic insults, and vasculitides. Hands tend to get more sun exposure than centrally located anatomical structures thereby subjecting them to photodermatoses and actinic damage. Hands may also manifest cutaneous signs of internal disease.