INTEGUMENTARY

SYSTEM
By: JONATHAN E. SANCHEZ
What is the Integumentary
System?
◦ The INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM includes all the structures and tissues
related to the skin.
◦ This includes:
1. skin
a. Epidermis
b. Dermis
c. Hypodermis
2. accessory organs
a. Hair
b. Nails
c. Glands
 WHAT IS SKIN?
◦The skin is the largest organ of
the body, with a total area of
about 20 square feet. The skin
protects us from microbes
and the elements, helps
regulate body temperature,
and permits the sensations of
touch, heat, and cold.
Functions of skin
◦Protection from cold, heat, radiation
◦Protection from pressure, blow, abrasion
◦Protection from the action of chemical
substances
◦Protection from invasion by microorganism
◦Skin protects you from germs.
◦Controls body temperature
◦The skin covers the entire body and
provides protection against injuries,
infection, and toxic compounds.
◦The system contains many nerve
endings that act as RECEPTORS for
pain, temperature, touch, and
pressure.
 ANATOMY OF
INTEGUMENTARY
SYSTEM
 Anatomy of Integumentary System
◦ SKIN
◦ EPIDERMIS
◦ DERMIS
◦ HYPODERMIS
◦ HAIR
◦ NAILS
◦ Sudoriferous Glands
◦ Sebaceous Glands
◦ Ceruminous Glands
ANATOMY OF
SKIN
 EPIDERMIS
◦EPIDERMIS?
The epidermis is the most superficial layer of the skin
that covers almost the entire body surface. The
epidermis rests upon and protects the deeper and
thicker dermis layer of the skin.
The Dermis
◦Has two distinct layers:
1. Papillary Layer (more superficial)
2. Reticular Layer (deeper)
◦Accessory organs begin the dermis.
◦Some of the accessory organs end or cross
into the epidermis.
◦The dermis contains blood vessels and
nerve tissue.
 HYPODERMIS
◦ The hypodermis (also called the subcutaneous layer or
superficial fascia) is a layer directly below the dermis and
serves to connect the skin to the underlying fascia (fibrous
tissue) of the bones and muscles. It is not strictly a part of
the skin, although the border between the hypodermis
and dermis can be difficult to distinguish. The hypodermis
consists of well-vascularized, loose, areolar connective
tissue and adipose tissue, which functions as a mode of fat
storage and provides insulation and cushioning for the
integument.
HAIR
◦Hair is an accessory organ of the
skin made of columns of tightly
packed dead keratinocytes found
in most regions of the body. The
few hairless parts of the body
include the palmar surface of the
hands, plantar surface of the
feet, lips, labia minora, and glans
penis.
NAILS
◦Nails are accessory organs of the
skin made of sheets of hardened
keratinocytes and found on the
distal ends of the fingers and
toes. Fingernails and toenails rein
force and protect the end of the
digits and are used for scraping
and manipulating small objects.
Physiology of the
Integumentary
System
Keratinization
◦Keratinization, also known as cornification,
is the process of keratin accumulating
within keratinocytes. Keratinocytes begin
their life as offspring of the stem cells of the
stratum basale. Young keratinocytes have
a cuboidal shape and contain almost no
keratin protein at all.
Temperature Homeostasis
◦Being the body’s outermost organ, the skin is
able to regulate the body’s temperature by
controlling how the body interacts with its
environment. In the case of the body entering a
state of hyperthermia, the skin is able to reduce
body temperature through sweating and
vasodilation.
Vitamin D Synthesis
◦Vitamin D, an essential vitamin necessary
for the absorption of calcium from food, is
produced by ultraviolet (UV) light striking
the skin. The stratum basale and stratum
spinosum layers of the epidermis contain a
sterol molecule known as 7-
dehydrocholesterol.
Protection
◦The skin provides protection to its underlying
tissues from pathogens, mechanical
damage, and UV light. Pathogens, such as
viruses and bacteria, are unable to enter
the body through unbroken skin due to the
outermost layers of epidermis containing an
unending supply of tough, dead
keratinocytes.
 Skin Color
◦Human skin color is controlled by the
interaction of 3 pigments: melanin,
carotene, and hemoglobin. Melanin is a
brown or black pigment produced by
melanocytes to protect the skin from UV
radiation. Melanin gives skin its tan or
brown coloration and provides the color
of brown or black hair.
Cutaneous Sensation
◦The skin allows the body to
sense its external
environment by picking up
signals for touch, pressure,
vibration, temperature, and
pain.
Excretion
◦In addition to secreting sweat to
cool the body, eccrine
sudoriferous glands of the skin
also excrete waste products out
of the body.