The integumentary System
The integumentary system is one of the largest organ systems of our bodies. This system includes parts of our body such as skin, hair, nails, oil, sweat glands, and nerves. The skin on our body weighs about eight pounds and has a surface area that covers about twenty-two square feet. Your body contains about 300-million skins cells and about every minute you shed close to 40,000 of these cells. The Integumentary System has many structures and functions that play an extremely important role in our everyday lives. This system interacts with many other human body systems and is involved in the physiological processes responsible for helping the body maintain internal equilibrium.
Functions of the integumentary system
1. Protection: The skin on your body protects your internal organs from the external environment, and prevents the invasion of infectious organisms.
2. Synthesizes Vitamin D: Your skin produces Vitamin D from exposure to UV light. From the exposure to UV light your Liver and Kidneys turn the Vitamin D into calcitriol, which regulates calcium and phosphorus production.
3.Sensory Reception: There are specialized nerves in your skin that receive messages of touch, pressure, pain, and temperature.
4.Temperature Regulation: There are sweat glands within the skin that produce sweat and the begin to evaporate leading to a process called evaporative cooling, which causes the temperature of your body to decrease after the sweat has evaporated.
5. Storage: Your skin stores water and fat.
2. Synthesizes Vitamin D: Your skin produces Vitamin D from exposure to UV light. From the exposure to UV light your Liver and Kidneys turn the Vitamin D into calcitriol, which regulates calcium and phosphorus production.
3.Sensory Reception: There are specialized nerves in your skin that receive messages of touch, pressure, pain, and temperature.
4.Temperature Regulation: There are sweat glands within the skin that produce sweat and the begin to evaporate leading to a process called evaporative cooling, which causes the temperature of your body to decrease after the sweat has evaporated.
5. Storage: Your skin stores water and fat.
3 layers of skin
1. Epidermis: This is the outermost layer of the skin and is very thin. It contains four separate layers of epithelial tissue. Starting from the outermost later of the epithelial tissue is the stratum corneum, which is approximately two to thirty cells thick. These cells are keratinized and dead which make the skin waterproof. The second and third layer contains the stratum granulosum and the stratum lucidum, which has cells that are not keratinized yet, therefore, as the skin grows, the cells are pushed outward and come towards the surface. The final layer, which is the deepest layer of the epidermis is the stratum germinativum, which are the cells that are active mitotically and are capable of reproducing. These cells are living, which is what makes them responsible for growing skin.
2. Dermis: This layer lies immediately after the epidermis and consists of its own blood supply therefore containing many complex structures. This layer includes the sweat glands, which collect water and waste products from the blood stream. The waste is then excreted from the pores in the epidermis as well as the water in the form of sweat. The hair roots are also found in this layer which help with the growth of hair. When the hair reaches the outside of the epidermis, the cells are dead. The connective tissue, which is made of collagen fibers are also found in this layer, which help given the skin strength and elasticity.
3. Subcutaneous: This is the last layer of this skin which contains the adipose tissues. The adipose tissues cushion the delicate organs beneath the skin. The body temperature is also maintained within this later of skin by insulating the body to the temperature fluctuations and cushions knocks and falls.
2. Dermis: This layer lies immediately after the epidermis and consists of its own blood supply therefore containing many complex structures. This layer includes the sweat glands, which collect water and waste products from the blood stream. The waste is then excreted from the pores in the epidermis as well as the water in the form of sweat. The hair roots are also found in this layer which help with the growth of hair. When the hair reaches the outside of the epidermis, the cells are dead. The connective tissue, which is made of collagen fibers are also found in this layer, which help given the skin strength and elasticity.
3. Subcutaneous: This is the last layer of this skin which contains the adipose tissues. The adipose tissues cushion the delicate organs beneath the skin. The body temperature is also maintained within this later of skin by insulating the body to the temperature fluctuations and cushions knocks and falls.
Melanin and its function
Melanin is a pigment produced by melanocytes in the skin which are responsible for creating many different shades and colors of skin and is normally located in the epidermis. Melanin is a pigment that is produced in the epidermis to protect us from the sun's potentially cancer-causing UV rays. People with dark skin produce more deeper-colored melanin particles. Fair skin is an adaption found in people from northern latitudes, where solar rays are relatively weak. Fair skinned people produce very little melanin, darker skinned people produce moderate amounts of melanin, and very dark skinned people produce the most melanin. People with little to no melanin are albino. When we are exposed to sunlight, melanocytes produce an increased amount of melanin which causes the skin to darken, or what we commonly call it "tan." However, in people with fair skin, certain melanocytes produce more melanin than others in response to the sun, which leads to an uneven or unbalanced production of melanin which results in spots of pigmentation, or "freckles."
Our skin color is due to melanin and our hair color is also due to the presence of melanin.
Our skin color is due to melanin and our hair color is also due to the presence of melanin.
Protect your skin...or else!
There are many different types of skin disorders you can get. The skin disorder pictured to the left is called squamous melanoma. This is a non-melanoma skin cancer, however, if left without treatment, it can develop into a cancerous form of skin cancer called melanoma. This disorder can be developed by excessive exposure to UV rays, such as tanning and sun exposure. Also by too much exposure to x-rays and radiation. These are the most common causes of skin cancer, but there are many other ways to develop a form of skin cancer. If you see something abnorml on your body, see a dermatologist as soon as possible. This will help prevent any further harm to your body, or you may just be informed that there is nothing wrong. It is better to be safe and careful and check in with your doctor sooner rather than later. If you take the risk and wait, it may develop into a dangerous and even deadly type of skin cancer.