Integumentary System Flashcards
(90 cards)
What are the functions of the integumentary system?
- Protect against physical, chemical & biological insults (e.g. bacteria/virus)
- Water proof barrier (both ways - in & out)
- Absorb UV radiation (lessen impact)
- Excretion & thermoregulation
- Sense the external environment (external stimulus)
- Synthesis of vitamin (esp. Vit D) & pigments (e.g. melanin)
What % of adult body weight is skin?
15%
Largest organ in body
What is skin?
Cutaneous membrane the forms the external body surface
What are the two main layers of skin?
- Epidermis
- Dermis
What is Epidermis?
Ectodermally derived epithelial tissue
Outer layer
What is Dermis?
Mesodermally derived connective tissue
Inner layer
What is the basement membrane?
AKA Epidermo-dermal junction
Separates epidermis from dermis
What is the hypodermis?
Subcutaneous layer of fascia (superficial fascia - loose connective tissue) & fat
Below the Dermis
What are some accessories found in skin?
In the Epidermis: Glands, Hair, Nails
In the Dermis: Smooth muscle, Bld. vessels, lymphatics, sensory organs
What accessories are found in the epidermis?
Glands
Hair
Nails
What accessories are found mainly in the dermis and some in the hypodermis?
Blood vessels
Smooth muscle
Lymphatics
Sensory organs
What are the two types of skin?
Hairy skin (aka ‘thin’ skin)
Glabrous skin (aka ‘thick’ skin)
What is present in hairy skin?
Hair & certain types of glands
(‘thin’ skin)
What is NOT present in hairy skin?
Encapsulated sense organs in the dermis X present
(‘thin’ skin)
BUT have free nerve endings
Where is hairy skin usually found?
Most regions of the body EXCEPT palms & soles
(‘thin’ skin)
Is the epidermis in the hairy skin or in the glabrous skin thinner?
Epidermis in hairy skin is thinner
Where is glabrous skin usually found?
Confined to palms & soles; fingertips & toes
(‘thick’ skin)
What is present in glabrous skin?
Encapsulated sense organs in the dermis are present (more sensitive)
(‘thick’ skin)
What is not present in the glabrous skin?
Lack of hair & certain types of glands
(‘thick’ skin)
What characteristic does glabrous skin have?
Furrows & ridges
Caused by the basement membrane - very wavy & causes the indentions that make up our fingerprints (e.g.)
= Dermatoglyphics (study of ridges on our skin - e.g. fingerprints for forensic science)
Are there blood vessels in the epidermis?
No bld vessels but have nerve endings
O2 & nutrients diffuses from bld vessels in the dermis through the basement mbn (vv thin)
Is hair derived from the epidermis, the dermis or the hypodermis?
Derived from the epidermis (even though it dips into the dermis & hypodermis)
What is the stratum basale?
Single layer of cuboidal/columnar epithelium
Cells attached to (sitting on) the basement mbn
What are the cells that make up the stratum basale?
Keratinocytes
Stem cells
Melanocytes
Merkel cells