The Many Faces of

Keratinocytes  ( Photos to be addded)

Keratinocyte morphology varies with the level of the epidermis. In the basal layer they are cuboidal with a large nucleus and eosinophilic cytoplasm . You also can have vacuolated keratinocytes, upper level clear keratinocytes in metabolic disorders, enlarged clear cell keratinocytes in Clear cell acanthoma, Enlarged keratinocytes with large nuclei in Large cell acanthoma, Atypical keratinocytes in Bowens disease, Spindled keratinocytes in spindled SCC, Paget like keratinocytes in Pagetoid SCC,, Halo like keratinocytes mimicing melanoma and dyskeratotic keratinocytes basally in interface disorders and high up in the epidermis in phototoxic reactions.

Melanocytes

These are dendritic cells at the dermoepidermal junction supplying melanin in the form of melanosomes to a group of keratinocytes with which it is associated. Abnormal melanocytes show a big nucleus with prominent nucleoli. Spindled cell and balloon variants are commonly seen. Nevus cells are variants of melanocytes in both the epidermis and dermis which lack dendrites. They vary from cuboidal cells with a large blue nucleus to Epitheliod and Spindled cells particularly in Spitz and blue nevi.

Langerhans cells

Mast cells

Nevus cells

Multi nucleated cells

Histiocytes

Recognise lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, plasma cells, Merkel cell,