ABSTRACT
Microcirculation-including capillaries, small arteries (arterioles), small veins (venules), and shunting vessels (arteriovenous anastomosis)—comprises the blood vessels of the most peripheral part of the vascular tree [1]. In the skin, the microvascular network is composed of dierent compartments, each with a dierent anatomy and function. e most supercial layer of the skin, the epidermis, is avascular, while the dermal papillae host the capillaries that are mainly responsible for the exchange of oxygen and metabolites with its surrounding tissue. erefore, the blood perfusion through the capillaries is frequently referred to as the nutritive blood ow. Although this nutritive blood ow is low or irregular during resting conditions, it is of vital importance for maintaining the minute metabolic requirements of the skin. In the deeper dermal structures, the arterioles, venules, and shunting vessels reside. e main role of these vessels is to feed and drain the capillary network by adjusting their peripheral resistance and to promote the maintenance of an adequate body temperature by dissipating heat to the environment through the modulation of shunting vessels.
