INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

• The Integumentary System is made up of skin &

accessory structures, including hair, nails, & glands
• Forms boundary between body & external
environment
• also allows us to interact with external
environment
• can have pathologies directly associated with it
• can also reflect problems with different systems
• ex) pallor, fever, allergic reactions
FUNCTIONS OF THE
INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM

• Protection
• Against mechanical damage (skin, nails), microorganisms (skin, hair, glands), UV
light (melanin), water loss (skin)
• Sensation
• Pressure, temperature, pain
• Excretion (removal of waste from body)
• Sweat has minor role in excretion (urea, uric acid, ammonia); most: urinary
system
• Temperature Regulation
• See following slides
• Vitamin D Production
• See following slides
 TEMPERATURE Cooling:
REGULATION
• Body temp is affected by blood flow through
skin:
• Cooling:

1. Arterioles in dermis dilate

• more warm blood flows from deeper
structures to skin

2. Heat loss increases, reducing body temp

Warming:
3. Sweat is produced, spreads over surface of
skin
• as sweat evaporates, body loses heat
• Warming

1. Blood vessels in dermis constrict

• less warmth from deeper structures flows to
skin

2. Reduced blood flow to skin —> heat loss

decreases
 VITAMIN D
SYNTHESIS
• Vit D stimulates uptake of Calcium &
Phosphate in small intestine
• both are vital components of bone tissue
• Ca2+ is vital for normal nerve & muscle
function
• Vit D synthesis:
• skin exposed to UV light
• Vit D precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol is
stored in skin
• when exposed to UV light, converted to
intermediate (Cholecalciferol), which is
released into blood & transported to liver &
then kidneys for modification
• At kidneys, further modification produces
calcitriol (active form of Vit D)
 MAJOR LAYERS OF SKIN

• Skin is made up of:

• Epidermis- superficial,
made of stratified
squamous epithelium
• protect against damage
from abrasion
• reduces water loss
• Dermis- deeper, tough
layer
 SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE/
HYPODERMIS

• Skin rests on
subcutaneous
tissue, or
hypodermis
• loose connective
tissue that
connects skin to
underlying
muscle/bone
EPIDERMIS
EPIDERMIS

• The epidermis is stratified squamous

epithelium
• separated from dermis by basement
membrane
• avascular
• living cells (deep) receive nutrients &
excrete waste by diffusion between
epidermis & dermis
CELLS OF THE EPIDERMIS

• The epidermis is composed of several cell types:

• Keratinocytes (most cells)- produce a protein mixture called keratin which
makes cells more durable
• allows epidermis to resist abrasion & conserve water
• constantly sloughed off (at surface) & replaced (by deeper layers)
• change shape & composition, as they undergo keratinization, accumulate
keratin & move superficially
• eventually die- outer layer is dead, hard cells- protective!
• Melanocytes produce pigment melanin, which contributes to skin color
• Langerhans cells- determine appropriate immune response (inflammation vs.
tolerance)
• Merkel cells- specialized epidermal cells, associated with nerve endings
• resp for detecting light touch & superficial pressure
STRATA
 STRATUM BASALE

• Deepest layer
• Single layer of cuboidal or
columnar cells
• Strength:
• anchored to basement
membrane by
hemidesmosomes
• attached to each other via
desmosomes
• Keratinocytes in this stratum
divide ~every 19 days
• one daughter cell remains a
stem cell; the other is pushed
towards the surface & becomes
keratinized
STRATUM SPINOSUM

• Superficial to Stratum Basale

• 8-10 cells deep
• Change shape (flatten) as
they progress towards the
surface
• Desmosomes break &
reform
• Additional keratin fibers are
added
• Formation of lamellar
bodies- lipid-filled,
membrane bound organelles
 STRATUM GRANULOSUM
• Superficial to Stratum Spinosum
• 2-5 cells deep
• Cells are flattened/diamond-
shaped, long-side parallel to skin
surface
• Granules of protein, keratohyalin,
appear
• Lamellar bodies move to plasma
membrane of cells & release lipids
in to extracellular space
• At superficial layers, nucleus &
organelles degenerate
• keratinocytes die
• keratin fibers & keratohyalin
granules remain
STRATUM LUCIDUM

• Superficial to stratum
granulosum
• Only present in some areas of
body
• Thin, clear zone
• Several layers of dead
keratinocytes
• no distinct borders to cells
• Keratin fibers present
• Keratohyalin has dispersed
• gives cells clear/transparent
appearance
STRATUM CORNEUM

• Most superficial
• 25+ layers of dead squamous
cells joined by desmosomes
• will eventually break, cells will
be shed
• These dead keratinocytes filled
with protein are called cornified
cells
• keratin is a mix of keratin fibers
& keratohyalin- provides
strength
• Lipids are released from lamellar
bodies
• Reduces permeability of skin
 THICK VS THIN SKIN
• Thick Skin vs Thin Skin refers to epidermis only
• not total depth of skin (dermis + epidermis)

• Thick skin:
• Thin skin:
• Has all 5 Strata
• More flexible
• Stratum Corneum has
many layers
• Often lacks Stratum
Lucidum
• Found in areas subject
to pressure or friction
• Each stratum has fewer
layers
• ex) palms, soles, • Hair is present only in
fingertips
thin skin
SKIN COLOR

• Factors that determine skin color include:

• pigments in skin- type, amount of melanin
• blood circulating through skin
MELANIN

• Melanin- group of pigments primarily resp for skin, hair,

eye color
• also provides protection against UV light
• large amounts present in freckles, moles, areolae
• lesser amount present in lips, palms, soles
• Melanin is produced by melanocytes
• Melanocytes are cells with long processes that extend
between keratinocytes of stratum basale & stratum
spinosum
• Melanin is transfered to keratinocytes, creating relatively
consistent skin tone
MELANIN TRANSFER

• Melanocytes produce &

package melanin into
vesicles called
melanosomes
• Melanosomes move into
cell processes of
melanocytes
• Keratinocytes
phagocytize the tips of
the melanocyte
processes
SKIN COLOR & BLOOD FLOW

• Variations in blood flow can alter skin color

• Short-lasting (mins-hours)
• Erythema- skin reddens due to increased blood
flow
• inflammatory response to:
• infection
• sunburn
• allergies/bites
• exposure to cold or heat
• blushing, anger
• Skin pales due to decreased blood flow
• Cyanosis- skin takes on blueish color due to
decrease in blood O2
SKIN COLOR & DIGESTIVE
SYSTEM
• Carotene is a yellow pigment found in
carrots & corn
• source of Vit A
• Lipid-soluble
• Excess carotene can accumulate in
stratum corneum & adipocytes of dermis &
hypodermis
• Skin can develop yellow-ish tint
• disappears once carotene intake is
reduced
• Jaundice is a yellowish skin color that is
observable when excess bile pigments
accumulate in the blood
• Can occur due to disease, damage to
liver
DERMIS
 DERMIS

• Dermis is connective tissue

• Cells include fibroblasts, adipocytes, macrophages
• Fibers include: Collagen (most), elastic & reticular
• Has vasculature
• Also contains: nerve endings (for touch, pain, itch, pressure,
temp, etc), hair follicles, smooth muscles, glands,
lymphatic vessels
 LAYERS

• Dermis has 2
layers:
• Papillary
Layer-
superficial
• Reticular
Layer- deep
PAPILLARY
LAYER

• Has dermal papillae (projections) that extend towards

epidermis
• Loose connective tissue with thin fibers
• Blood vessels also serve epidermis
RETICULAR
LAYER

• Main layer of dermis, made of dense irregular connective tissue

• Fibers are resistant to stretch in any direction
• Collagen & elastic fibers have SOME orientation, forming cleavage lines or
tension lines
• relevant to wound healing
• parallel surgical incisions recommended
STRETCH MARKS

• Stretch marks are areas of scarred tissue

that remains after rupture of dermis
• visible through epidermis
• often resulting in areas where rapid growth
occurred
HYPODERMIS
HYPODERMIS/SUBCUTANEOUS
TISSUE

• Deep to skin
• Attaches skin to
underlying bone &
muscle
• Consists of loose
connective tissue with
collagen & elastic
fibers
• Cells include:
fibroblasts, adipocytes,
macrophages
LIPIDS
• ~Half body’s stored lipids are
in subcutaneous tissue
• functions: insulation, padding,
source of energy
• Subcutaneous tissue can be
used to estimate total body
fat
• skin pinch thickness
• Amount of adipose varies with
age, sex, diet
• infants > adults
• F>M
INJECTIONS
• 3 types of injections:
• Intradermal- goes into dermis
• requires small needle at shallow angle
• ex) tuberculin skin test
• Subcutaneous- extends into subcutaneous layer
• requires pinching skin to form “tent” & inserting short needle
• ex) insulin
• Intramuscular- reaches muscle deep to subcutaneous layer
• uses long needle at 90 deg angle to skin
• ex) vaccines & antibiotics