Chapter 5
Integumentary System
I. Skin Structure
A. The skin is an organ that consists of several types of
tissues and performs specific activities. In adults,
skin covers an area of about 2 square meters.
B. The two principal layers of the skin are the epidermis
and the dermis.
1. Deep to skin is the subcutaneous (subQ) layer,
consisting primarily of areolar connective and
adipose tissue.
C. Epidermis
1. The epidermis is composed of keratinized
stratified squamous epithelium and contains
several cell types.
2. The cell types found in the epidermis are:
a. Keratinocytes – produce keratin.
b. Melanocytes – produce the pigment melanin.
c. Intraepidermal macrophages (Langerhans
cells) – help in immune responses.
d. Tactile epithelial cells – involved in
touch.
3. The epidermis is organized into 4-5 distinct
layers. From the bottommost to the uppermost,
they are:
a. Stratum basale – the deepest layer; has
cells undergoing cell division.
b. Stratum spinosum – provides strength and
flexibility to the skin.
c. Stratum granulosum – waterproofs and
protects the skin.
d. Stratum lucidum – found only in thick skin
(fingertips, palms, soles of feet).
e. Stratum corneum – composed of many layers
of dead keratinocytes; protects the deeper
layers from physical, chemical, or
microbial damage.
4. The skin is capable of regeneration as long as
the stratum basale and its stem cells are intact.
D. Dermis
1. The dermis lies under the epidermis and consists
of a superficial region and a deep region.
2. The superficial region makes up about one-fifth
of the thickness of the dermis.
a. It is composed of areolar connective tissue
and elastic fibers.
b. This area contains dermal papillae.
c. It also has nerve endings for touch,
thermal sensations, pain, tickling, and
itching.
3. The deeper region is composed of dense irregular
connective tissue with collagen and elastic
fibers.
a. Many of the skin’s accessory structures are
embedded here.
b. This region gives the skin its strength,
extensibility, and elasticity.
4. Tattoos deposit permanent ink into the dermis.
E. Skin color
1. Skin color is due to melanin in the epidermis,
carotene in the dermis, and blood (hemoglobin) in
the capillaries of the dermis.
2. Melanin production can vary with ultraviolet
light exposure, age, and disorders.
3. Age (liver) spots are clusters of melanin.
4. Albinism is the inherited inability to produce
melanin.
5. Malignant melanoma (cancer of the melanocytes) is
a particularly serious skin cancer.
II. Accessory Structures of the Skin
A. Hair (pili)
1. Hair consists of dead, keratinized cells.
2. Each hair is composed of a shaft which projects
above the skin’s surface, and a root which is
embedded in the dermis or subcutaneous.
3. Surrounding the root is the hair follicle, which
is composed of two layers of epidermal tissue.
a. The base of each follicle is enlarged into
an onion-shaped structure, the hair bulb,
which produces new hairs by cell division.
b. Arrector pili muscles attach to the hair
follicles. Contraction of these muscles
causes the shafts to rise, resulting in
slight elevations on the skin’s surface
(“goose bumps”).
c. The color of hair is due to melanin.
d. Alopecia refers to baldness; hirsutism is
excessive body hair.
B. Sebaceous (oil) glands
1. These are usually associated with the hair
follicles, and they secrete an oily substance
called sebum.
2. Sebum prevents skin dryness and water
evaporation, keeps the skin soft, and inhibits
the growth of certain bacteria.
3. Enlargement and/or inflammation of sebaceous
glands can result in blackheads, pimples, or
acne.
C. Sudoriferous (sweat) glands
1. Sweat glands help to regulate body temperature
and eliminate wastes such as urea and ammonia.
These glands can be divided into eccrine and
apocrine glands.
2. Eccrine sweat glands are found throughout the
skin except the lips, nail beds, eardrums, glans
penis, glans clitoris, and labia minora.
a. The primary role of eccrine sweat glands is
to help regulate body temperature through
the release and evaporation of sweat.
3. Apocrine sweat glands are found in the armpit,
groin, pigmented area of the breasts, and bearded
area of the face.
a. These glands do not begin to function until
puberty.
b. They produce a viscous, milky sweat that
can interact with skin bacteria and produce
body odor.
D. Ceruminous (wax) glands
1. Ceruminous glands are present in the external
ear.
2. They produce a secretion called cerumen (earwax)
which provides a sticky barrier against the entry
of foreign bodies and bacteria.
E. Nails
1. Nails are plates of hard, dead, keratinized
epidermal cells over the ends of the fingers and
toes.
2. The nail body is the visible portion, and the
nail root is not visible.
a. The whitish semilunar area near the nail
root is called the lunula.
3. New nail cells grow from epithelial cells in the
nail matrix. The matrix is located deep to the
nail root.
4. Functionally, nails help us grasp and manipulate
small objects, and protect the ends of the
fingers and toes.
III. Functions of the Skin
A. Regulation of body temperature
1. Excess heat is lost through sweating (eccrine
sweat glands) and vessel dilation in the dermis.
2. To increase body temperature, sweat is decreased
and vessels in the dermis constrict.
B. Protection – from microbes, abrasions, heat,
chemicals, dehydration, and ultraviolet light damage.
C. Cutaneous sensations – including touch, pressure, hot,
cold, vibration, tickling, and pain.
D. Excretion and absorption
E. Synthesis of vitamin D – when skin is exposed to
ultraviolet radiation.
IV. Aging and the Integumentary System
A. Most age related changes occur in the dermis.
1. Collagen fibers in the dermis decrease, stiffen
and break apart.
2. Elastic fibers lose some elasticity and thicken
into clumps, leading to the formation of
wrinkles.
B. There is a decrease in the number of intradermal
macrophages, lessening the skin’s immune
responsiveness.
C. The ability to regulate temperature declines.
D. Melanocyte functions decline, causing gray hair and
atypical skin pigmentation.
E. Hair growth slows, and thinning or balding may occur.
F. Skin becomes thinner and heals poorly.
G. There are many products and treatments that are used
to counter the effects of skin’s aging.
