Role of Skin in

Regulation of Body
Temperature
PBL Group B
Contents
Structure of Skin

Functions of skin

Temperature regulation

Role of skin in heat loss

Skin
 General outer covering of entire
external surface of body
Structure of Skin
A. Epidermis
 Avascular layer of stratified
squamous epithelium

 Ectodermal in origin and gives rise

to appendages of skin such as nail,
hair, sweat gland and sebaceous
gland
B. Dermis(corium)

 Deep, vascular layer of skin,

derived from mesoderm

 Made up of connective tissues

mixed with blood vessels,
lymphatics and nerves
Functions of skin
Regulation of body temperature
Protection and sensory
Absorption, secretion and excretion
Regulation of pH
Synthesis and storage
Reparative
Water balance
Normal Body Temperature
Normal oral temperature=37°C (98°F)

Human body temperature is lowest at

6:00 AM and highest in the evenings

Body temperature is controlled by

balancing heat production and heat
loss
Temperature regulation
 All vital activities that contribute to
basal metabolic rate leads to heat
production

 Heat is lost from body by radiation,

conduction, and vaporization of
water in respiratory passage and on
skin
Heat Production
Heat production occurs due to
following activities:-
 Ingestion of food
 Contraction of skeletal muscle
 Endrocrine activities due to

epinephrine, norepinephrine, thyroid

hormones, etc.
 Brown fat in infants
Heat loss
 The processes by which heat loss
occurs from skin are described
below:-

i. Conduction
o process of heat exchange between
objects or substances at different
temperatures that are in contact
with one another
o Conduction is usually aided by
convection
o Example:- human suspended in water

ii. Radiation
o Radiationcauses heat loss in the
form of infrared rays

o 60% of total heat loss is by radiation

o A nude person inside a room radiates
heat rays in all direction and is
absorbed by the relatively cold walls
of the room

iii. Insensible perspiration

Even when sweating is not present,
water evaporates insensibly from skin
and also from lungs at rate of 600 to
700 ml/day
o When water evaporates from body
surface, 0.58 calorie of heat is lost
for each gram of water that
evaporates.

o It
cannot be controlled for purpose of
temperature regulation
Sweating
o Caused by stimulation of anterior
hypothalamus-preoptic area in brain
either electrically or by excess heat

o Impulse is transmitted from this area

to spinal cord by autonomic pathway
and then through sympathetic outflow
to skin
 Normal rate of sweating is 1 litre
sweat per hour

 In
hot weather sweating can increase
upto 2 to 3 litre per hour

 Evaporationof sweat helps remove

heat from body
Regulation of body temperature
 A nudeperson in dry air between 55°F
and 130°F is capable of maintaining a
normal body core temperature
somewhere between 99°F to 100°F

 Alltemperature regulation mechanism

operate through temperature regulating
centers located in hypothalamus
Role of anterior hypothalamic- preoptic
area
 When preoptic area is heated,skin
breaks out in profuse sweat and skin
blood vessels over entire body
becomes greatly dilated
 Thiscauses body to loose heat and
regain normal body temperature

 Posteriorhypothalamus integrates
central and peripheral temperature
sensory signals to control heat
producing and heat conserving
reactions of body
Detection of body temperature
by receptors in skin
 Bothcold and warmth receptors are
present in skin

 Skin
has far more cold receptors than
warmth receptors
 When skin is chilled, reflex actions
that begin to increase body
temperature in several ways:-
i. Strong stimulation to cause
shivering
ii. By inhibiting sweating
iii. By promoting skin vasoconstriction
 When body is too hot, reflex action
begin to decrease body temperature
in several ways:-
i. Vasodilation of skin blood vessels
ii. Sweating increases
iii. Decreasing in heat production by
inhibiting shivering
References
 Gyton and Hall Textbook of Medical
Physiology
 Ganong’s Review of Medical

Physiology
 BD Chaurasia Handbook of general

anatomy
Thank you