Hairless guinea pig skin: anatomical basis for studies of cutaneous biology.

In order to characterize the microscopic anatomy of hairless guinea pig (HL-GP) skin, we utilized light microscopy with a computer-assisted image analysis system, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SEM revealed that the hair shafts of HL-GPs were thin, short, extremely irregular in diameter and often twisted and curled. The HL-GP epidermis was of similar thickness to that of human skin with distinct...