The Integumentary System

INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

COMPILED BY HOWIE BAUM

THE SKIN
This extraordinary organ  It is the body's first line
system : of defense against
bacteria, viruses, and
 Protects the internal other pathogens.
structures of the body
from damage  It helps to provide
protection from harmful
 Prevents dehydration ultraviolet radiation.
 Stores fat  The skin is a sensory

organ with receptors for
 Produces vitamins and detecting heat and cold,
hormones. touch, pressure, and pain.
Helps to maintain  The natural secretion of

homeostasis within the sebum from the millions
body by assisting with the of sebaceous glands, each
regulation of body associated with a hair
temperature and water follicle, is slightly oily and
balance. furnishes the skin with
partially water-repellent
and antibiotic qualities.
TOGETHER, SKIN, HAIR, AND NAILS ARE KNOWN AS THE
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM.
 The skin is the largest organ in the body, weighing 6–9 pounds and with a surface area
of almost 21 square feet.
 Its thickness varies from about 1/50 inch on delicate areas such as the eyelids, to 1/5
inch or more on areas of wear and tear, such as the soles of the feet.
 Few body parts renew as rapidly as the skin.
 Every month the outer layer of epidermis is completely replaced, at a rate of 30,000
flake-like dead cells every minute.
 The journey from epidermal base to surface takes about four weeks, and a typical
person sheds more than 1 pound of skin every year !!
 Dead skin cells combine with other particles to create household dust. The average
home in the United States collects 40 pounds of dust each year !!
Skin has two main
structural layers.
The outer Epidermis is chiefly

protective, and the underlying Dermis
contains many different tissues with
varied functions.
The Dermis contains thousands of

microsensors that enable the sense of
touch, as well as sweat glands and
adjustable blood vessels that contribute
to body temperature regulation.
Under the dermis is a layer, sometimes

regarded as part of the skin, called the
Hypodermis and is made of
subcutaneous fat.
This layer acts as a buffer and provides

extra thermal insulation against extreme
heat and cold.
Dermatomes
A dermatome is a region or
zone of skin supplied by the
dorsal (rear, sensory) nerve
roots of one pair of spinal
nerves.
The nerve branches carry

sensory information about
touch, pressure, heat, cold, and
pain from the skin
microsensors within the zone,
along the sensory nerve fibers
of the branches of the spinal
nerve, to the spinal nerve root
and then into the spinal cord.
A “skin map” delineates these

skin zones, or dermatomes.
In real life, the distribution of

nerve roots, and so of
sensations, overlaps slightly.
A patch of skin about the size
of a fingernail contains
5,000,000 (5 million)
microscopic cells of at least a
dozen main kinds:
100 sweat glands and their

pores
1,000 touch sensors
100-plus hairs with their

sebaceous glands
Up to 3-1/3 feet of tiny blood

vessels and about 1-2/3 feet
of nerve fibers.
Meissner’s corpuscle Encapsulated
nerve ending in the skin’s upper
dermis, especially on the palms,
soles, lips, eyelids, external genitals,
and nipples, respond to light
pressure.
Merkels’s disc Receptors, usually in

the upper dermis or lower epidermis,
especially in non-hairy areas. They
sense faint touch and light pressure.
Ruffini corpuscle Encapsulated

receptor in the skin and deeper tissue
that reacts to continuous touch and
pressure. In joint capsules, it
responds to rotational movement.
Pacinian corpuscle Large, covered

receptor located deep in the dermis,
as well as in the bladder wall, and
near joints and muscles. It senses
stronger, more sustained pressure.
HOW A SKIN INJURY GETS
REPAIRED BY THE BODY
Injury
1) The wound breaks open cells and releases

their contents. These components attract
various defense and repair cells.
2) Clotting
Blood seeps from the vessel and forms a

clot.
Fibroblasts multiply and migrate to the

damaged area as do white cells called
neutrophils, which ingest cell debris and
foreign matter, such as dirt and germs.
3) Plugging
Fibroblasts produce a plug of fibrous

tissue within the clot, which contracts
and shrinks. New tissue begins to form
beneath.
The clot gradually hardens and expels

fluid to become a scab, as the tissues
heal beneath.
4) Scabbing
The plug hardens and dries into a scab,

which eventually detaches.
A scar may remain but usually fades

with time.
Ultraviolet defenses
The Sun’s rays include a spectrum of color

wavelengths, including infrared or IR rays (the
warming component) and ultraviolet, UV, rays.
Both UV-A and UV-B wavelengths are invisible

to human eyes, but exposure to the latter, in
particular, is linked to forms of skin cancer.
Skin’s self-defense is its dark coloring

substance, or pigment, melanin. This forms a
screen in the upper epidermis that shields the
actively multiplying cells in the base of the
epidermis.
Melanin production
Melanocytes are melanin-producing cells

in the base of the epidermis. They make
parcels of melanin granules,
melanosomes, which pass into
surrounding cells.
GETTING VITAMIN D FROM SUNLIGHT AND FOODS
Our skin naturally contains a precursor to vitamin D.
When the sun’s ultraviolet rays touch the skin, they convert the
precursor to a molecule called vitamin D3, which then follows a
metabolic pathway through the liver and finally to the kidneys,
where it’s converted into a molecule called calcitriol.
That’s the good stuff—the active form. (Vitamin D obtained from

food or supplements must also follow that metabolic pathway to
become active.)
 Vitamin D is essential to healthy bones, because it helps you

absorb calcium, which strengthens your skeleton.
 Without the vitamin, you could develop brittle bones,

increasing the chance of getting osteoporosis when you’re
older.
 Children with insufficient vitamin D can develop soft bones,

putting them at risk for rickets.
 Inadequate amounts of vitamin D can also lead to a weakened

immune system.
HAIR GROWTH
Hairs are rods of dead, flattened cells filled

with keratin and have a mainly protective role.
The hair’s root, or bulb, is buried in a pit, the

follicle.
As extra cells add to the root, the hair

lengthens from its base.
Different kinds of hairs grow at varying rates,

with scalp hairs lengthening about 1/100 inch,
each day.
However, hair does not grow

continuously.
After three to four years, the follicle goes into

a rest phase and the hair may detach at its
base.
Rest phase - The hair grows to its maximum
Three to six months later, the follicle activates length. Activity in the follicle stops and the hair
again and begins to produce a new hair. dies.
Growth phase
A new hair sprouts at the base of the

follicle. As it grows, the dead hair is
shed.
Temperature regulation - One of the skin’s functions
is to contribute to thermoregulation – maintenance of a
constant body temperature.
It does this in three main ways:
 Widening and narrowing of blood vessels
 Sweating
 Hair adjustment.
If the body becomes hot, blood vessels in the dermis

widen (vasodilate) to allow extra blood flow so more
warmth can be lost from the surface.
The skin may look flushed, and sweat oozes from sweat glands
and evaporates, drawing away body heat.
If the body is cold, the peripheral blood vessels narrow

(vasoconstrict) to minimize heat loss, and sweating is Feeling cold - Tiny body hairs, raised by contraction
reduced. of the erector pili muscles, create small mounds
known as goose pimples at their bases.
Tiny body hairs are pulled upright by the erector pili
muscles to trap air as an insulating layer. The peripheral blood vessels constrict, and sweat
glands reduce their activity.
Feeling hot
Tiny body hairs lie flatter as

the erector pili muscles relax,
and the small mounds at their
bases disappear.
Dermal blood vessels dilate,

increasing blood flow, and the
sweat glands raise their output
of sweat.
Eyebrows and eyelashes Scalp hair
The arch of relatively coarse, fast-growing Head hairs help to keep rainwater
eyebrow hairs helps to divert sweat or from the scalp, absorb or deflect some
rainwater on the forehead that might trickle of the energy in knocks and blows,
into the eyes. and shield the head from extremes of
temperature.
Eyelashes produce swirling air currents when
blinking, which push floating particles away
from the eye surface.
Nail structure
Fingernails and toenails are hard

plates made of a tough protein
called keratin.
Growth takes place under a fold of

flesh (cuticle) at the nail base.
An area called the nail matrix adds

keratinized cells to the nail root,
and the whole nail is continuously
pushed forward along the nail bed
towards its free edge.
Most nails grow about 1/50 inch

each week, with fingernails
lengthening faster than toenails.

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INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

COMPILED BY HOWIE BAUM

 Stores fat  The skin is a sensory

Helps to maintain  The natural secretion of

 Few body parts renew as rapidly as the skin.

The outer Epidermis is chiefly

The Dermis contains thousands of

Under the dermis is a layer, sometimes

This layer acts as a buffer and provides

The nerve branches carry

A “skin map” delineates these

In real life, the distribution of

100 sweat glands and their

1,000 touch sensors

100-plus hairs with their

Up to 3-1/3 feet of tiny blood

Merkels’s disc Receptors, usually in

Ruffini corpuscle Encapsulated

Pacinian corpuscle Large, covered

1) The wound breaks open cells and releases

Blood seeps from the vessel and forms a

Fibroblasts multiply and migrate to the

Fibroblasts produce a plug of fibrous

The clot gradually hardens and expels

The plug hardens and dries into a scab,

A scar may remain but usually fades

The Sun’s rays include a spectrum of color

Both UV-A and UV-B wavelengths are invisible

Skin’s self-defense is its dark coloring

Melanocytes are melanin-producing cells

Our skin naturally contains a precursor to vitamin D.

That’s the good stuff—the active form. (Vitamin D obtained from

 Vitamin D is essential to healthy bones, because it helps you

 Without the vitamin, you could develop brittle bones,

 Children with insufficient vitamin D can develop soft bones,

 Inadequate amounts of vitamin D can also lead to a weakened

Hairs are rods of dead, flattened cells filled

The hair’s root, or bulb, is buried in a pit, the

As extra cells add to the root, the hair

Different kinds of hairs grow at varying rates,

However, hair does not grow

After three to four years, the follicle goes into

A new hair sprouts at the base of the

It does this in three main ways:

 Widening and narrowing of blood vessels

If the body becomes hot, blood vessels in the dermis

If the body is cold, the peripheral blood vessels narrow

Tiny body hairs lie flatter as

Dermal blood vessels dilate,

Fingernails and toenails are hard

Growth takes place under a fold of

An area called the nail matrix adds

Most nails grow about 1/50 inch

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