MODULE 1

Topic 3: Integumentary system

The integumentary system is the body's outer layer, consists of: skin, hair, nails and
glands.
These organs and structures are the first line of defense against bacteria and help protect
from injury and sunlight.
The integumentary system works with other systems in the body to keep it in balance
(homeostasis)
Do you know what’s aging your skin? Could it be that you spend
too much time in the sun, or too many late nights up, or you
don’t eat enough fruit and veggies?

https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/dermatology/uva-uvb-rays-skin-care
 Epithelial tissue

Connective tissue

ANATOMY AND
PHYSIOLOGY OF
THE SKIN
 Thick
 The epidermis is made up skin
of keratinized stratified
squamous epithelium
 Thin skin (4 layers)
 Thick skin (5 layers)

EPIDERMIS
• Keratinocytes, make up the majority of the epidermis, form a barrier for the body against
the outside world. Keratinocytes in the deeper layers of the epidermis are called basal
cells. Cancers that develop from these cells in the deepest epidermal layer are called basal
cell carcinomas
• Melanocytes, make a protein called melanin, which is a pigment that gives skin a darker
color. More melanin means darker skin. Melanin also protects skin cells from ultraviolet
damage. Malignant melanoma develops from this cell type
• Merkel Cells, “neuroendocrine cells,” meaning that they look like nerve cells but also have
some features of hormone cells. Their exact function is not known, but they are thought to
play a role in sensing light touch. Merkel Cells can give rise to a form of skin cancer known
as Merkel Cell Cancer
• Langerhans Cells, are immune, or infection-fighting, cells. They exist in the epidermis, and
the dermis, in lymph nodes, and in other locations throughout the body.

EPIDERMIS
 DERMIS: is the layer of skin that
lies beneath the epidermis and
above the subcutaneous layer
 Is the thickest layer of the skin, and
is made up of fibrous and elastic
tissue.
 Provides strength and flexibility to
the skin.

DERMIS
 Thermoregulate
 Blood storage
 Protection https://youtu.be/OxPlCkTKhzY
 Cutaneous sensation
 Excretion & absorption
 Synthesis of vitamin D

PHISIOLOGY OF THE SKIN

HAIR
 The hair is a keratin structure growing out of the epidermis
 Functions:
Protection – hair on the head protects the skull from the sun, while that
in the nose and ears and around the eyes (eyelashes) traps and excludes
dust particles, which may contain allergens and microbes. Eyebrows
prevent sweat and other particles from dripping into the eyes;
Sensory reception – the hair is far more sensitive than the skin surface
to air movement or other disturbances in the environment, for example,
head-lice infestation;
Thermoregulation
Distribution of sweat-gland products
Psychosocial - hair plays an important role in determining self image
and social perceptions (Kolarsick et al, 2011; Graham-Brown and
ACCESSORY ORGANS OF THE SKIN:
Bourke, 2006)

HAIR
 Hair growth is determined by genetic and hormonal factors
 Each cycle of hair growth is predetermined and goes through three phases
 Fifty hairs are lost and replaced per day (Gawkrodger and Ardern-Jones,
2016; Graham-Brown and Bourke, 2006)
 Hair is similar to the skin in that it gets its color from the pigment melanin

ACCESSORY ORGANS OF THE SKIN:

HAIR
 Sweat glands, also known as sudoriferous or
sudoriparous glands, are small tubular structures of
the skin that produce sweat
 Two types of sweat glands:
 Eccrine sweat glands: occur over most of the
body and open directly onto the skin's surface.
Eccrine sweat glands are involved in
hyperhidrosis
 Apocrine glands: open into the hair follicle,
leading to the surface of the skin. Apocrine
glands develop in areas with many hair follicles,
such as on the scalp, armpits and groin.

ACCESSORY ORGANS OF THE SKIN:

SWEAT GLANDS
 Nails protect the sensitive tips of fingers and toes
 They support the tips of our fingers and toes, protect them from injury, and help us pick up small
objects.
 Without them, we'd have a hard time scratching an itch or untying a knot
 As with hair, nails form by keratinization. When the nail cells accumulate, the nail pushes
forward.

ACCESSORY ORGANS OF THE SKIN:

NAILS
 The skin below the nail is the matrix.
 The larger part of the nail, the nail plate, looks
pink because of the network of tiny blood
vessels in the underlying dermis.
 The whitish crescent-shaped area at the base of
the nail is the lunula
 Fingernails grow faster than toenails

ACCESSORY ORGANS OF THE SKIN:

NAILS
• Level I
The cancer is limited to the epidermis.
• Level II
The cancer invades partly into the papillary
dermis.
• Level III
The cancer completely fills the papillary dermis
but does not extend into the reticular dermis.
• Level IV
The cancer extends into the reticular dermis.
• Level V
The cancer extends into the subcutaneous
tissue.

SKIN CANCER
https://youtu.be/fDwigwLwd5A
 GAMES
 https://www.purposegames.com/game/label-the-skin-quiz
 https://wordwall.net/resource/11937470/functions-of-the-skin