Question

The type of connective tissue present in the arrow-marked area is:

• A. Loose and irregular
• B. Specialized
• C. Dense irregular
• D. Dense regular

Hint:

The deep reticular dermis has thick collagen bundles running in all directions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: The arrow marks the reticular dermis, the deeper of the two layers of the dermis (the superficial layer being the papillary dermis).

Step 2: The reticular dermis is built of dense irregular connective tissue. Its thick collagen bundles (predominantly type I collagen) run in many different directions, woven together with elastic fibres, and it carries the usual connective tissue cells along with blood and lymphatic vessels.

Step 3: The multidirectional, interlacing arrangement of fibres is what makes it irregular, and the high fibre density is what makes it dense. This pattern allows the skin to resist stretching forces from any direction.

Step 4: The distractors do not fit. Dense regular connective tissue has fibres in parallel and forms tendons and ligaments. Loose (areolar) connective tissue, with sparse fibres, makes up the papillary dermis. Specialized connective tissue refers to cartilage, bone, blood and adipose tissue. Hence the reticular dermis is dense irregular connective tissue.