ABSTRACT
The vulva consists of the mons pubis, labia majora, labia minora, the hymen, the clitoris, the vestibule of the vagina, the urethral orifice, Skene’s glands, Bartholin’s glands, and the vestibular bulbs. The mons pubis, the perineum, and the labia share an ectodermal origin and have a keratinized, stratified, squamous epithelial structure with hair follicles, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands, similar to those of other skin sites. The degree of thickness of the vulvar skin epidermal keratinization progressively decreases from the outer part, the labia majora, to the inner part, the labia minora. The vulvar vestibule, conversely, is nonkeratinized and derived from the endodermal fold.
