The ermis is a layer of skin beneath the epidermis that consists of connective tissue, and cushions the body from stress and strain. The dermis is tightly connected to the epidermis by a basement membrane, and harbors many nerve endings that provide the sense of touch and heat. It contains the hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, apocrine glands, and blood vessels. The blood vessels in the dermis provide nourishment and waste removal to its own cells, as well as the Stratum basale of the epidermis.