Figure 3. Changes in skin thickness and dermal adipose tissue development in lower skin dermis of the newborn mouse.

Skin sections were stained with Oil Red O to detect lipids from birth to 19 days postnatally (a–i). In the 36 hours after the 0.5dN time point (a) there is a rapid increase in both the numbers of stained cells and the size of the lipid droplets (b, c). In association with the downward expansion of follicles the dermal adipose tissue layer thickens until day 12 (f) with the most rapid expansion between about 2 and 5 Days (c, d). As follicles regress, dermal thickness decreases (g, h) until skin thickness is reduced back to that seen in the days shortly after birth, and lipid containing cells accumulate below (i). Scale bar = 30 µm.