Skin anatomy. Artwork of a section through human skin, showing the flattening of skin cells as they rise to the dead keratinised surface layer (top) from the living layer below (the dermis). The flattened cells form an uppermost layer called the stratum corneum, thickened in some parts of the body. At left is dry and damaged skin. At right is normal, moist and supple skin. The stratum corneum is the outer part of the epidermis. Nuclei (blue) are shown within the skin cells. Across bottom are arterial capillaries (red) providing the skin cells with oxygenated blood.