Anatomy of the skin
Your skin is composed of three layers, the epidermis, the dermis and subcutaneous fat.
Epidermis
This is the top layer of skin and it is somewhat translucent, so light can partially pass through it. There are no blood vessels in the epidermis so this top layer gets its nutrients and oxygen from the deeper layers. The epidermis is attached to the next layer, the dermis, via a membrane.
Dermis
This is the second, deeper layer of your skin. The dermis is where your hair roots and sweat glands reside and the dermis also contains some blood vessels and nerves.
Subcutaneous fat
This is the bottom or lowest layer of your skin and this is where your larger blood vessels and nerves reside. The subcutaneous fat layer is composed of fat-filled cells call adipose cells and the depth of the subcutaneous fat layer is different from one person to another. Subcutaneous fat is attached to your bones and muscles by connective tissue, which is loose, allowing skin to move. If you have too much subcutaneous fat, the connection points of your connective tissue become more obvious. This causes a pockmarked or rippled appearance--the dreaded cellulite.
