Integumentary System

Chapter 5
 Integumentary Structure
• Cutaneous Membrane – covers the body; made
of three parts
– Epidermis
– Dermis
– Subcutaneous layer (Hypodermis)
• Accessory Structures – other coverings of the
body besides the skin
– Hair
– Nails
– Exocrine glands
 Integumentary Function
• Protection – protects from impact, chemicals,
infections, loss of body fluids
• Temperature maintenance – regulates heat gain
and loss to the environment
• Synthesis and storage of nutrients – makes
vitamin D3 and has a large reserve of lipids in
the adipose tissue
• Sensory reception – receptors detect touch,
pressure, pain, and temperature and send the
information to the nervous system
• Excretion and secretion – excretes salt, water,
and organic waste as well as producing milk
 Epidermis
• Made of stratified squamous epithelium in different
layers
• Cells take 2-4 weeks to move through all of the layers;
they remain another 2 weeks in the outermost layer
until they are shed
• Thick skin
– Composed of 5 layers
– Found on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet
– Could be .5 mm thick
• Thin skin
– Composed of 4 layers
– Covers the rest of the body
– Could be .08 mm thick
• Avascular – nutrients are delivered through dermal
ridges
Epidermal Layers
 Stratum Germinativum
• Epidermal layers – from deep to superficial
– Stratum Germinativum (growing layer)
• Also called Stratum Basale
• Deepest layer of the epidermis
• Firmly attached to the basement membrane
(separates the epidermis and dermis)
 Stratum Germinativum
• Forms epidermal ridges which extend into the
dermis
– Gains nutrients from the dermis – ridges
increase surface area to increase absorption
– Ridges increase friction
– Ridges cause fingerprints
• Contains stem cells (germinative cells). This
is where new skin cells are made
• Also contains melanocytes which produce
melanin which colors the epidermis
 Epidermis – Intermediate Layers

– Intermediate Strata – cells move from one

layer to the next as they move their way to the
outer surface of the skin (composed of strata
spinosum, granulosum, lucidum)
 Stratum Spinosum

• Stratum Spinosum (spiny layer)

– Made of cells displaced from the stratum
germinativum
– Cells continue to divide and add to the
thickness of the epidermis
 Stratum Granulosum
• Stratum Granulosum (grainy layer)
– Made of cells displaced from the stratum
spinosum
– Cells have stopped dividing and make
large amounts of keratin (a water-resistant
protein)
– Keratin is used to make the skin water-
resistant and durable
– Keratin is also found in hair, calluses, and
nails
 Stratum Lucidum

• Stratum Lucidum (clear layer)

– Made of cells displaced from the stratum
granulosum
– Only found in thick skin
– Cells are flattened, densely packed, and
filled with keratin
 Stratum Corneum
– Stratum Corneum (corneum=horn)
• Most superficial layer
• 15-30 layers of dead, flattened cells with
high levels of keratin
• Surface is generally dry so it discourages
the growth of microorganisms
 Skin Color
• Determined by epidermal pigmentation
and dermal blood supply
• Pigmentation
– Carotene
• An orange-yellow pigment
• Can be converted to Vitamin A which is important
in epithelial tissue and synthesizing
photoreceptors in the eye
 Skin Color
– Melanin
• Brown, yellow-brown, or black pigment
• Made by the melanocytes
• Melanocyte activity increases in response to
sunlight
• Freckles are areas of larger-than-normal melanin
production
• Helps to absorb UV radiation before it reaches
the lower levels of the skin
• Different skin colors do not come from more or
less melanocytes. It is linked to melanocyte
production
 Skin Color
• Dermal Circulation
– Blood vessels generally give the skin a reddish tint
– When vessels dilate, red tone is more pronounced
– When scared, blood vessels constrict and the skin
becomes pale
– When skin is depleted of oxygen, becomes dark red
and then blue (cyanosis)
– Cyanosis is generally seen in the lips, ears, or
under the nails
– Cyanosis can be a response to extreme cold or
respiratory or circulatory disorders
 Vitamin D
• Epidermal cells in the stratum spinosum
and stratum germinativum can convert
the steroid in cholesterol into Vitamin D3
• It is released by the liver and converted
by the kidneys into calcitriol (a hormone
needed for absorption of Ca and P by the
small intestine)
 Skin Cancer
• Most common type of cancer
• Most common skin cancer – basal cell
carcinoma
• Both basal cell carcinoma and squamous
cell carcinoma are generally not fatal.
• Usually remove the tumor
Basal and Squamous Carcinoma
 Skin Cancer
• Melanomas are extremely dangerous
– It develops in the melanocytes
– The cells grow quickly and metastasize
– They move through the lymph system quickly
• Decreasing UV exposure and using sun
block can help to prevent all three types of
cancer
Melanoma
 Dermis
• Lies beneath the epidermis
• Contains blood vessels, lymph vessels, nerve
fibers.
• Has two layers
– Papillary layer
• Contains the dermal papillae
• Made of loose connective tissue
• Contains capillaries and nerves that nourish the dermis
and the epidermis
– Reticular layer
• Made of dense, irregular connective tissue
• Collagen fibers blend into the papillary layer and connect
to the subcutaneous layer
Dermis
 Subcutaneous Layer (Hypodermis)
• Very elastic
• Made of loose connective tissue and a lot of
adipose tissue
– “Baby fat” is excess adipose tissue used for warmth and
to serve as a shock absorber; usually covers most of the
child
– Mature males accumulate subcutaneous fat at the neck,
upper arms, lower back, buttocks, abdominal region
– Mature females accumulate subcutaneous fat in the
breasts, buttocks, hips, thighs, abdominal region
• Has blood vessels in the superficial layer, but not
deeper
• Since lower levels contain no major organs and few
capillaries, often inject drugs using a subcutaneous
injection with a hypodermic needle
 Accessory Structures –
Hair Follicles
• Structure of Hair
– Hair is found everywhere except sides and
soles of the feet, palms of the hands, sides of
the fingers and toes, lips, parts of external
genitals
– Hair itself is nonliving
– Hair is formed in the hair follicle which is found
in the dermis and subcutaneous layer
 Accessory Structures –
Hair Follicles
– As new cells are made, they are pushed up and
keratinized. This causes the hair to grow
– Hair root anchors the hair to the skin. The hair
shaft is what we see.
– Hairs have a growth cycle of 2-5 years (grow
about .3 mm per day)
– After the cycle, the follicle rests. When it is
ready to produce a new hair, the old hair is
pushed to the surface and is shed (lose ~
50/day)
Hair Structure
 Accessory Structures –
Hair Follicles
• Functions of hair (~ 5 million hairs total)
– ~ 100,000 hairs on the head protect from UV
light, cushion light blows, provide insulation
– Hairs around eyes, ears, and nose prevent
foreign materials from entering
– Arrector pili muscle is attached to each hair
follicle. It causes the hair to stand up (caused
by cold or an emotional state)
 Accessory Structures –
Hair Follicles
• Hair color
– Different hair colors are caused by different amounts
and types of pigments produced by the melanocytes
– Hormonal and environmental factors can also affect
hair condition
– Pigment production decreases with age so hair
lightens
– White hair caused by decrease in pigment and the
presence of air bubbles in the hair shaft
 Accessory Structures –
Sebaceous Glands
• Holocrine glands (cell becomes packed and
bursts with the secretion)
• Discharge a waxy, oily secretion onto hair or the
skin
• Contraction of the arrector pili muscle squeezes
the oil out of the glands (oil is called sebum)
• Sebum lubricates skin and hair and inhibits the
growth of bacteria
• Sebaceous glands are sensitive to hormone
changes. During puberty, the secretions
accelerate. Ducts can become blocked and
pimples can be formed and bacteria can grow
inside
 Accessory Structures –
Sweat Glands
• Body contains merocrine and apocrine
sweat glands
• Apocrine glands
– Secrete sweat into hair follicles in the
armpits, around nipples, and in the groin
– Secretions are quite odorous (benefit in
animals)
– Thought to be apocrine, they really have
merocrine secretion, but the name never
changed
 Accessory Structures –
Sweat Glands
• Merocrine glands (also called eccrine)
– Much more numerous and widely distributed
– An adult has 2-5 million merocrine glands
– Highest number – palms and soles of the feet
(palms ~ 3000/in2)
– Discharge secretions directly onto the skin
– Cools the skin and reduces temperature
– Sweat is 99% water but also contains electrolytes,
organic nutrients, and waste products
– When all glands are working together, can sweat 1
gallon/hour
 Accessory Structures –
Sweat Glands
• Specialized sweat glands
– Mammary glands
– Ear wax
Glands
 Accessory Structures –
Nails
• Dorsal surface of fingers and toes
• Covers areas of mechanical stress
• Visible nail body is made of dead keratinized
cells
• Nail growth occurs from the nail root which is
surrounded by epidermal tissue
• Part of the stratum corneum forms the cuticle
• Nail is pink because of blood vessels
• Half moon at the base is called the lunula
Nail
 Control of Homeostasis
• Integument responds to stress on skin
– When exposed to mechanical stress, stem
cells divide more rapidly
– Increases the depth of the epithelium
– Calluses form
 Control of Homeostasis
• Injury and Repair
– The speed and effectiveness of repair depends on
the type and size of a wound.
– 4 basic steps of repair
• Bleeding occurs. Mast cells cause an inflammatory
response.
• Blood clots, forms a scab, restricts entry of microorganisms.
Phagocytes start to clean up debris.
• A fibroblast framework is constructed under the scab and
epidermal cells start to move over it.
• Scab falls off, epidermis is complete. A shallow depression
will eventually be filled with scar tissue
 Control of Homeostasis
– If dermal tissue has been damaged, this
must be repaired first.
– Severely damaged hair follicles, sweat and
sebaceous glands, muscle cells, and
nerves are seldom repaired. They are
often replaced with fibrous tissue (scar
tissue).
 Burns
• 1st Degree
– Appearance: inflamed, tender
– Kills superficial cells of epidermis; injures deeper layers of
epidermis and papillary dermis

• 2nd Degree
– Appearance: blisters; very painful
– Kills superficial and deep layers of epidermis and may lead into
the dermis; the reticular layer may be damaged, but not the
accessory structures

• 3rd Degree
– Appearance: charred; no sensation
– Kills all epidermal and dermal cells; injures the hypodermis and
deeper tissues and organs
Types of Burns
 Integument and Aging
• Skin injuries and infections are more
common. Stem cell activity declines.
• Sensitivity of immune system is reduced.
Decrease in the number of macrophages.
• Muscle strength and bone strength
decreases. Decrease in Vit. D3
production.
• Increase in sensitivity to sun exposure.
Melanocyte activity decreases.
 Integument and Aging
• Skin becomes dry and scaly. Decrease in
glandular activity.
• Hair thins and changes colors. Follicles slow
down and decrease in melanocyte activity.
• Sagging and wrinkling of skin occurs. Thinner
dermis, elastic fiber network decreases in size.
• Ability to lose heat decreases. Blood supply
decreases and sweat gland activity decreases.
• Skin repairs occur slowly. Repair rate can
double which can lead to recurrent infections.