Apocrine glands are similar in structure, but not identical, to eccrine glands. They are found in the axillae, in the anogenital region, and, as modified glands, in the external ear canal (ceruminous glands), the eyelid (Moll’s glands), and the breast (mammary glands). They produce odor and do not function before puberty, which means they probably serve a vestigial function. The mammary gland is considered a modified and highly specialized type of apocrine gland Hair follicles...
Apocrine glands are similar in structure, but not identical, to eccrine glands. They are found in the axillae, in the anogenital region, and, as modified glands, in the external ear canal (ceruminous glands), the eyelid (Moll’s glands), and the breast (mammary glands). They produce odor and do not function before puberty, which means they probably serve a vestigial function. The mammary gland is considered a modified and highly specialized type of apocrine gland
Hair follicles are complex structures formed by the epidermis and dermis. They are found over the entire surface of the body except for the soles of the feet, palms, glans penis, clitoris, labia minora, mucocutaneous junction, and portions of the fingers and toes. Sebaceous glands often open into the hair follicle rather than directly onto the skin surface, and the entire complex is termed the pilosebaceous unit. The base of the hair follicle, or hair bulb, lies deep within the dermis and, in the face, may actually lie in the subcutaneous fat. This accounts for the remarkable ability of the face to re-epithelialize even the deepest cutaneous wounds. A band of smooth muscle, the arrector pili, connects the deep portion of the follicle to the superficial dermis. Contraction of this muscle, under control of the sympathetic nervous system, causes the follicle to assume a more vertical orientation, also knowns as goose-bumps.
