INTEGUMENTAR

Y SYSTEM
Essentials of Healthcare
INTRODUCTION
 Skin is an organ like the heart or lungs
 Approximately 15% of your total body
weight
 More than just a covering!
 System with a specific function:
 Structures and membranes
 Contains glands and sensory receptors (w/
specialized functions)
 Grows hairs and nails
BODY
MEMBRANES
Essentials of Healthcare
 Surrounds and helps protect the
body’s surfaces which include:
MEMBRANE
 Cavities open to the outside world
 Internal cavities that house body
organs
 Capsules that surround ball-and-
socket synovial joints
 Skin

 Types of Membranes
BODY

 Epithelial
 Mucous
 Serous
 Cutaneous
S

 Connective Tissue
 Synovial
EPITHELIAL MEMBRANES -
MUCOUS
 Line body cavities that open to the
outside world including:
 Hollow organs of the respiratory, digestive,
urinary, and reproductive tracts
 Mouth, nose, lungs, digestive tract, and
bladder are examples of hollow organs
lined with mucous membranes
 Structure compromises a layer of
epithelium on top of the loose connective
tissue called lamina propria.
 All mucous membranes are lined with
mucus which protects the membrane and
aids in transporting substances.
EPITHELIAL MEMBRANES –
SEROUS
 Line body cavities that are closed to the outside world

 Examples
 Pleura – encloses the lungs
 Pericardium – surrounds the heart
 Peritoneum – lines the abdominal cavity

 Structure is an outer layer of simple squamous

epithelium on a thin layer of loose connective tissue.
 Each membrane forms a double lining with an outer
lining and an inner lining.
 Outer lining – surrounding each body cavity called parietal
layer
 Inner lining – covers each organ within the body called
visceral layer
 Membranes secrete a thin, clear fluid called serous fluid.
 Fluid serves as lubricant between the parietal and visceral
membranes
EPITHELIAL MEMBRANES –
CUTANEOUS
 Commonly known as skin
 Structure
 Keratinizing (keratin - fibrous,
protein found in hair, nails, and
skin), stratified squamous
epithelium over dense, fibrous
connective tissue.
 Contains sweat glands
CONNECTIVE TISSUE
MEMBRANES
 Only one type of membrane in the body is
composed solely of connective tissue and
includes no epithelial cells: synovial membrane
 Synovial membrane
 Lines the capsules that surround the synovial joints
(ex. Shoulder and knee)
 Line tendon sheaths (connective tissues
surrounding tendons)
 Line bursae (small connective tissue sacs that
serve as cushions for tendons and ligaments
surrounding the joints)
 Secrete synovial fluid (provides cushioning and
reduces friction and wear on moving structures)
INTEGUMENTAR
Y SYSTEM
Essentials of Healthcare
 Not just covering but an entire

OVERVIEW/FUNCTIONS
system that includes:
 Cutaneous membrane, sweat and oil
glands, and nails and hair
 Keratin
 Tough protein that adds structural
strength
 Helps to protect the skin against
damage from harmful chemicals
 Assists skin oils in serving as a
water barrier
 Skin
 Regulate body temperature
 Excessive number of capillaries and
sweat glands near the surface
 Overheated
 Capillaries dilate which allows heat
to dissipate
 Sweat glands become active,
producing sweat that evaporates to
cool
 What happens in a cold
environment?
SKIN – CHEMICAL
PROCESSES
 Specialized cells (melanocytes) produce
melanin, a pigment that protects the body
against the harmful effects of ultraviolet ray
damage from sunlight.
 Ultraviolet-B rays from sunlight causes the
conversion of modified cholesterol molecules
called provitamin D3 in the skin to vitamin D.
 Vitamin D is essential for bone health

 During the process of sweating the body

eliminates chemical waste products, including
urea, uric acid, and salts.
 And, because the fluid secreted by the sweat
glands is acidic, it helps protect the body
against bacterial infections.
NERVOUS SYSTEM
CONNECTION
 Skin contains specialized
cutaneous sensory receptors
that are part of the nervous
system.
 These receptors transmit nerve
signals that contain
information about the
environment, including touch,
pressure, vibration, pain, and
temperature.
ANATOMY OF THE SKIN
 Two layers
 Outer – epidermis
 Underlying – dermis

 Example: A blister is produced when a burn or friction causes these two

layers to separate, forming a fluid-filled pocket.
 Epidermis and dermis are thick over areas such as the soles of the feet and
thin in delicate areas such as the eyelids.
 Beneath the dermis is the hypodermis, or subcutaneous fascia, which
serves as a storage repository for fat.
 * The hypodermis is not part of the skin, but connects the skin to the underlying
tissues
 It also protects cushioning and insulation against extreme external temperatures.
 Skin that we see
 Contains five layers of tissue (superficial

EPIDERMIS to deep)
 Stratum corneum
 Stratum lucidum
 Stratum granulosum
 Stratum spinosum
 Stratum basale

 All layers consist of cells, but they do

not include a blood supply that provides
nutrients to the skin.
 Stratum basale absorbs nutrients from
the underlying dermis.
 They are constantly producing new skin
cells. As new cells germinate, they are
pushed toward the surface and away
from the nutrients. Eventually, they die.
KERATINOCYTES
 Produce keratin
 Moving up through the stratum spinosum and stratum granulosum, cells
become progressively flatter and more filled with keratin, which makes
them tough and water resistant.
 The stratum lucidum is a clear layer of thick skin found only on the palms
of the hands, fingers, soles of the feet, and toes.
 The stratum corneum consists of dead cells that are completely filled with
keratin and are continually shedding.
 Epidermis replaces itself completely every 25 to 45 days.
 Specialized cells that produce the

MELANOCYTESpigment melanin
 Melanin – colors that range from reddish
yellow to brown and black
 Primarily responsible for human skin color

 Exposure to sunlight causes

melanocytes to produce more melanin
 Tanning – the result of melanin granules
being pushed out into the neighboring
skin cells
 The presence of extra melanin in the
skin functions as a sunscreen, which is
why sunburn is more likely to affect
individuals with light skin.
 Albinism – prevents the normal
production of melanin
SPECIALIZED CELL -
EPIDERMIS
 Epidermal dendritic cells – respond to
the presence of foreign bacteria or
viruses by initiating an immune system
response, which brings in other
specialized cells to attack the foreign
invaders.
 There are as many as 800 dendritic cells
per square millimeter of skin to help ward
off infections.
 Merkel cells – located in the stratum
basale, function as touch receptors.
These cells form junctions with sensory
nerve endings that relay information
about touch to the brain.
 Known as the “true skin”

DERMIS
 A dense, fibrous connective tissue
composed of collagen and elastic fibers.
 Fibers provide toughness and also bind with
water molecules to help keep the inner skin
moist.
 Elastic fibers are what keep the skin looking
young, without wrinkles or sagging.
 During the normal course of aging, the
numbers of collagen and elastic fibers
decrease.
 The dermis has a rich supply of blood
vessels which dilate or constrict to help
dissipate or retain body heat.
 Specialized sensory receptors for touch,
vibration, pain, and temperature
communicate with nerve endings to
transmit information to the brain about
what the body is sensing.
 Phagocytes – specialized white blood cells
are distributed throughout the dermis, are

DERMIS CONT. responsible for ingesting foreign material,

including bacteria as well as dead cells.
 The outer layer of the dermis is the
papillary layer, after the dermal papillae
that protrude from its surface up into the
epidermis.
 Some of the dermal papillae contain
capillaries that supply nutrients to the
epidermis.
 Other dermal papillae contain nerve
endings involved in sensing touch and pain.
 These papillae form genetically determined,
ridged patterns on the fingers that each
person’s unique fingerprints are derived.
 Underneath the papillary layer lies the
reticular layer of the dermis.
 The reticular layer includes blood and
lymphatic vessels, sweat and oil glands,
involuntary muscles, hair follicles, and
nerve endings.
HYPODERMIS
 Also known as the subcutaneous
fascia, includes fibrous
connective tissue and adipose
tissue.
 It is within the hypodermis that
lipocytes, or fat cells, reside.
 Body fat is important for padding
and insulating the interior of the
body and also serves as a source
of energy.
APPENDAGES OF THE SKIN
 Includes the sudoriferous (sweat) glands,
sebaceous (oil) glands, hair, and nails.
 Sweat Glands
 Distributed in the dermis over the entire
body
 Larger concentrations in the axilla (under
the arm), on the palms of the hands and
soles of the feet, and on the forehead
 Each person has approx. 2 to 3 million
 Two types:
 Eccrine glands
 Apocrine glands
ECCRINE GLANDS
 Major sweat glands of the body
 Cover most of the body and open
directly onto the skin
 Sweat secreted by eccrine glands is a
clear, acidic fluid that consists of
approx. 99% water, but it also
contains waste products such as
urea, uric acid, salts, and vitamin C.
 Sweat is odorless, however, the
bacteria can chemically change it to
produce an unpleasant odor.
 Sweat glands contain nerve endings
that cause sweat to form when body
temperature or external temperature
is elevated.
APOCRINE GLANDS
 Begin to function during puberty
 Located in the genital and axilla
areas
 Larger than the eccrine glands
 They secrete a milky fluid
consisting of sweat, fatty acids,
and proteins.
 Unlike the eccrine gland ducts,
which open directly onto the skin,
the apocrine gland ducts empty
into hair follicles.
SEBACEOUS GLANDS
 Located all over the body except for
the palms of the hands and soles of
the feet, produce an oily substance
called sebum.
 Most empty into a hair follicle,
though some secrete directly to the
skin.
 Sebum helps to keep the skin and
hair soft and also contains
chemicals that kill bacteria.
 Because the sebaceous glands are
particularly active during
adolescence, teenagers’ skin tends
to be oily.
 Hair follicles are bulb-shaped structures within

HAI
the dermis that produce hair.
 The base of the follicle is “invaded” by a
papilla of connective tissue containing a rich

R capillary supply, which provides nourishment

for hair cell formation.
 Like the epithelial cells generated in the
stratum basale, as these cells are pushed up
toward the scalp, they become filled with
keratin and die.
 Most of a shaft of hair is, therefore, nonliving
material composed mainly of protein.
 Melanocytes give the hair its color.
 The shape of the hair follicle is genetically
determined.
 A round hair follicle produces straight hair; an oval
follicle causes hair to be wavy; and a flat-shaped
follicle produces curly hair.
 Arrector Pili – muscle contracts and pulls hair
upright and causes the appearance of goose
bumps. The erect hair traps a layer of air
close to the skin, which adds insulation.
 Underlying each nail is a specialized
region of the stratum basale known as
NAILS the nail bed.
 The proximal end of the nail bed is a
thickened region called the nail matrix,
or growth zone.
 As with hair, it is within the matrix that
nail growth occurs, with new cells
rapidly becoming keratinized and
dying.
 Nails are transparent, but they appear
pinkish in color because of the capillary
supply beneath the stratum basale.
 The white, crescent moon-shaped
region at the base of the nail, which is
positioned over the thickened nail
matrix, is called the lunule.
 The lunule has a curved shape like that
of a crescent moon.