Some skin receptors are only free nerve endings and may penetrate the epidermis. Other skin receptors possess connective tissue sheaths and mostly occur in the dermis and are often called corpuscles or bulbs.
The skin has the following receptors:
(i) Free nerve endings are distributed between cells of the epidermis. Most of these nerve endings are sensitive to pain,
(ii) Root hair plexus is associated with the hair and responds to touch,
(iii) Meissner’s corpuscles are located in the papillary layer of the dermis just below the epidermis which respond to touch,
(iv) Merkel’s discs occur in the epidermis and are responsible for touch,
(v) Pacinian corpuscles are in the dermis and respond to strong pressure. These receptors are located deep in the dermis. Pacinian corpuscles are also sensitive to vibrations,
(vi) Ruffini’s corpuscles respond to heat
(vii) Krause’s corpuscles are excited by cold. The Krause corpuscles are far more numerous than the Ruffini’s corpuscles. A large number of these receptors are found in the face and hands.