From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Skin
epithelium (purple) with
lamina propria (underlying connective tissue) (pink) -- the epithelium exhibits rete pegs. Rete pegs protect the tissue from shearing.
[1]
Rete pegs (also known as rete processes or rete ridges ) are the
epithelial extensions that project into the underlying connective tissue in both
skin and
mucous membranes .
In the epithelium of the mouth, the
attached gingiva exhibit rete pegs, while the
sulcular
[2] and
junctional epithelia do not.
[3]
Scar tissue lacks rete pegs and scars tend to shear off more easily than normal tissue as a result.
[1]
Also known as papillae , they are downward thickenings of the
epidermis between the
dermal papillae .
References
^
a
b Ira D. Papel (2011).
Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Third ed.). USA: Thieme Medical Publishers. p. 7.
ISBN
9781588905154 .
^ Itoiz, ME; Carranza, FA: The Gingiva. In Newman, MG; Takei, HH; Carranza, FA; editors: Carranza’s Clinical Periodontology , 9th Edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Company, 2002. pages 23.
^ Page, RC; Schroeder, HE. "Pathogenesis of Inflammatory Periodontal Disease: A Summary of Current Work." Lab Invest 1976;34(3):235-249