THE INTEGUMENTARY Chapter 5

SYSTEM
INTRODUCTION TO SKIN
Most accessible but often least appreciated organ
system.
The skin, or simply integument, accounts for
approximately 16% of your total body weight.
The skin’s surface, 1.5 - 2.0 m2, is constantly worn
away, attacked by micro-organisms, irradiated by
sunlight, and exposed to environmental chemicals.
Skin is composed of two major components:
1. Cutaneous membrane
2. Accessory structures
 FUNCTIONS OF THE
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
• Protection of underlying tissues and organs against impact, abrasion, fluid loss, and chemical
attack
• Excretion of salts, water, and organic wastes by integumentary glands
• Maintenance of normal body temperature through either insulation or evaporative cooling, as
needed
• Production of melanin, which protects underlying tissue from ultraviolet radiation
• Production of keratin, which protects against abrasion and serves as a water repellent
• Synthesis of vitamin D3, a steroid that is subsequently converted to calcitriol, a hormone important
to normal calcium metabolism
• Storage of lipids in adipocytes in the dermis and in adipose tissue in the hypodermis
• Detection of touch, pressure, pain, and temperature stimuli, and the relaying of that information to
the nervous system.
WO COMPONENTS OF
SKIN

Layers of Skin
The skin is composed of two main layers: the epidermis, made of closely packed epithelial cells, and the dermis, made of
dense, irregular connective tissue that houses blood vessels, hair follicles, sweat glands, and other structures. Beneath the
dermis lies the hypodermis, which is composed mainly of loose connective and fatty tissues.
 EPIDERMIS
• The epidermis is composed
primarily of keratinocytes
arranged into layers called
strata.
• Thin skin epidermis has 4
strata layers
• Thick skin epidermis has 5
strata layers (palms and
soles)
 STRATA (LAYERS) OF THE
EPIDERMIS
Stratum Corneum = the “horny layer”; outermost layer
 Cells in surface layer remain about 2 weeks before being
shed or washed away
 15–30 layers of dead keratinized cells held together by
desmosomes
 Water resistant, not waterproof since we lose water
through insensible perspiration (unable to see or feel) and
sensible perspiration (sweat)
Stratum Lucidum = the “clear layer”
 Flattened, densely packed dead cells filled with keratin

Stratum Granulosum = the “grainy layer”

 3–5 layers of keratinocytes that have stopped dividing
and started producing keratin
 Cells grow thinner and flatter and cell membrane
becomes less permeable
Stratum Spinosum = the “spiny layer”
 Composed of 8–10 layers of keratinocytes bound together
by desmosomes
 Contains dendritic (Langerhans) cells defending against
microorganisms and superficial skin cancers
Stratum Basale = the “basement layer”; innermost layer
 Attached to basement membrane. Most cells here are
basal cells, stem cells that divide to replace more
superficial keratinocytes. Melanocytes and Merkel cells
RIDGES OF THE SKIN
DERMAL PAPILLAE =
FINGERPRINTS
DERMIS
The dermis supports the epidermis and
the hypodermis connects the dermis to
the rest of the body.

Papillary layer
 Named for dermal papillae in this region
 Composed of areolar tissue
 Contains capillaries, lymphatic vessels,
and sensory neurons
DERMIS Reticular layer
 Interwoven meshwork of dense irregular
connective tissue
 Contains both collagen and elastic fibers
 Collagen fibers from this layer blend
into both the papillary layer above and
the hypodermis below
 Contains blood vessels, lymphatic
vessels, nerve fibers, and accessory
organs (hair follicles, sweat glands)
CLEAVAGE LINES - CORRESPOND TO THE ORIENTATION OF
COLLAGEN FIBERS IN THE DERMIS, AND ARE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE
ORIENTATION OF THE UNDERLYING MUSCLE FIBERS
HYPODERMIS
 Separates skin from deeper
structures
 Stabilizes position of skin relative
to underlying tissues
 Allows independent movement
 Dominated by adipose tissue
 Important energy storage site
PIGMENTATION

Factors influencing skin color

include
• epidermal pigmentation via
melanin and carotene
• dermal circulation.

Skin Pigmentation
The relative coloration of the skin depends of the amount of melanin produced by melanocytes
in the stratum basale and taken up by keratinocytes.
 DERMAL CIRCULATION
 Hemoglobin is red pigment found in
red blood cells
 Blood flows to dermis through
subpapillary plexus
 More blood flow to region results in redder
color
 Less blood flow to region initially
results in pale color
 Sustained reduction of blood flow
decreases available oxygen
 Lower oxygen levels makes hemoglobin
darker red
 From surface view, skin has bluish color
(cyanosis)
ACCESSORY ORGANS OF
SKIN

• Nerve fibers and corpuscles

• Hair follicles, hair shafts, and
arrector pili muscles
• Oil glands and sweat glands
Arteries, veins, and lymph vessels
• Nails (form from thickened
epidermal cells nestled into the
dermis forming a nail field)
HAIRS AND THEIR
ASSOCIATED STRUCTURES
 Found almost everywhere on the body
 Except palms of hands, soles of feet, sides of fingers and
toes, lips, parts of external genitalia
 Body has about 2.5 million hairs
 75 percent on general body surface (not the head)
 Nonliving structures
• Each hair produced by a hair follicle
• Two types of hair
1. Terminal hairs
 Large, coarse, darkly pigmented
 Examples: hairs found on scalp or in armpit
2. Vellus hairs
 Smaller, shorter, delicate
 Found on general body surface
SENSORY RECEPTORS IN THE
SKIN
 ~400 cm of nerve fibers per cm of skin
2

 Receptors in the epidermis

 Free nerve endings
 Sensitive to touch and pressure
 Between epidermal cells
 Tactile discs (Merkel cells)
 Detect texture and steady pressure
 Found in deepest layer of epidermis extending
into dermis
 Tactile (Meissner’s) corpuscles
 Detect light touch, pressure, and vibration
 Found in the papillary layer
 Lamellated (Pacinian) corpuscles
 Detect deep pressure and vibration
 Found in both dermal layers and in
hypodermis
 FUNCTIONS OF THE
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
• Protection of underlying tissues and organs against impact, abrasion, fluid loss, and chemical
attack
• Excretion of salts, water, and organic wastes by integumentary glands
• Maintenance of normal body temperature through either insulation or evaporative cooling, as
needed
• Production of melanin, which protects underlying tissue from ultraviolet radiation
• Production of keratin, which protects against abrasion and serves as a water repellent
• Synthesis of vitamin D3, a steroid that is subsequently converted to calcitriol, a hormone important
to normal calcium metabolism
• Storage of lipids in adipocytes in the dermis and in adipose tissue in the hypodermis
• Detection of touch, pressure, pain, and temperature stimuli, and the relaying of that information to
the nervous system.
THERMOREGULATION
SKIN CANCER
Basal cell carcinoma
 Most common form of skin cancer
 Originates in stratum basale due to
mutations caused by overexposure to UV
radiation
 Virtually no metastasis and most people
survive
SKIN CANCER
Squamous cell carcinoma
• Effects the keratinocytes of the stratum spinosa
and presents as lesions.
• Squamous cell carcinoma presents here as a
lesion on an individual’s nose.
• Second most common skin cancer
• ABCDE rule
• Asymmetrical
• Borders
• Color
• Diameter
SKIN CANCER
Malignant melanoma
 Most serious form of skin cancer
 Extremely dangerous
 Cancerous melanocytes grow rapidly
and metastasize through lymphatic
system
 If detected early and removed surgically,
the
5-year survival rate is 99 percent
 If not detected until after metastasis, the
5-year survival rate drops to 14 percent
 ECZEMA

Eczema
Eczema is a common skin disorder that presents as a red, flaky rash. (credit: “Jambula”/Wikimedia Commons)
 ACNE

Acne
Acne is a result of over-productive sebaceous glands, which leads to formation of blackheads and inflammation of the skin.
SKIN FUNCTIONS AFFECTED
BY BURNS
 Fluid and electrolyte balance
 Skin loses effectiveness as a barrier
 In full-thickness burns, fluid loss rate increases up to five times normal level
 Thermoregulation
 Increased fluid loss = increased evaporative cooling
 Takes more energy to maintain body temperature
 Protection from infection
 Dampness (from fluid loss) encourages bacterial growth
 If skin is broken, infection likely to occur
 Sepsis (sepsis, rotting)
 Widespread bacterial infection
 Leading cause of death in burn victims
EVALUATING BURNS
1. Depth of burns
 Assessed with a pin
 Absence of reaction to pin prick
indicates third-degree burn (loss of
sensation)
2. Percentage of skin that has
been burned
 Rule of nines
 Method of estimating percentage
of surface area affected by burns
 Modified for children (different
body proportions)
EMERGENCY TREATMENT OF
BURNS
Replacing lost fluids and electrolytes
 Providing sufficient nutrients
 Increased metabolic demands for thermoregulation and healing
 Preventing infection
 Cleaning and covering burn
 Administering antibiotics
 Assisting tissue repair with skin grafts
AGE-RELATED CHANGES
IN SKIN