Prepare for the VTCT Level 2 Facial and Skincare Test. Revise with flashcards and multiple choice questions, accompanied by insightful explanations. Ace your assessment with confidence!

Multiple Choice

Which term describes the transformed keratinocytes that shed every two weeks?

The outermost epidermal cells are corneocytes. These are the mature, transformed keratinocytes that have completed keratinization, become flattened and filled with keratin, and lose their nuclei. They form the stratum corneum—the protective barrier—and are shed from the surface in the process of desquamation, typically as a new layer takes their place every couple of weeks. Keratin, the protein inside them, is not the cell itself, and desquamation describes the shedding action, not the cell type. The remaining option refers to cytoskeletal filaments inside living keratinocytes in a deeper layer, not to the shed outer cells.

The outermost epidermal cells are corneocytes. These are the mature, transformed keratinocytes that have completed keratinization, become flattened and filled with keratin, and lose their nuclei. They form the stratum corneum—the protective barrier—and are shed from the surface in the process of desquamation, typically as a new layer takes their place every couple of weeks. Keratin, the protein inside them, is not the cell itself, and desquamation describes the shedding action, not the cell type. The remaining option refers to cytoskeletal filaments inside living keratinocytes in a deeper layer, not to the shed outer cells.