Integumentary System Anatomy

• Vitamins A, D, and K can be absorbed through the skin.
• Synthesis of vitamin E is not a function of the skin.
• The stratum corneum is the superficial outer layer of the epidermis.
• The stratum basale is the only epidermal cell layer that can undergo mitosis.
• The dermis is referred to as true skin.
• The hypodermis connects the dermis to underlying tissues and muscles.
• An especially thick stratum corneum is found on the sole of the foot.
• The papillary layer of the dermis produces the ridges that make fingerprints
• Arrector pili are smooth muscles that contract to produce goose pimples.

Reticular Layer and Skin Cancer

• Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer.
• Kaposi sarcoma is associated with immune deficiencies.
• Prolonged sun exposure causes melanocytes to increase melanin production.
• The hair follicle is found in the dermis.
• Fingernail growth results from mitosis of cells in the stratum germinativum.
• Apocrine sweat glands are found in all areas except the soles of the feet.
• Sebaceous glands are associated with blackheads.
• Lanugo is not part of a hair.
• Hair alternates between periods of growth and rest, and consists of keratinized cells.
• The hair papilla consists of dermal tissue.
• Eccrine glands are the most numerous, important, and widespread sweat glands in the body.

Sebum and Ear Wax

• Sebum lubricates hair and skin.
• Ceruminous glands produce the waxy secretion in the external ear canal.
• The surface film on the skin provides lubrication, buffering of caustic irritants, and antibacterial/antifungal activity.
• Body temperature is generally lowest during the early morning.
• Evaporation is the conversion of water from a liquid to a gaseous state and is a form of body heat loss.
• Radiation is heat transfer from one surface to another without actual contact.
• The body compensates for increased core body temperature during exercise by increasing blood flow to the skin.
• The same degree of environmental temperature seems hotter in humid climates because evaporation is retarded.
• A person leaning against a cold cement block wall loses heat by conduction.
• The body's temperature control center is located in the hypothalamus.

Burns and Skin Structure

• A second-degree burn is characterized by destruction of the epidermis and dermis, along with severe pain, generalized swelling, and edema.
• A major distinction between second- and third-degree burns is that third-degree burns are characterized by insensitivity to pain immediately after injury.
• In the skin, the dermis is connective tissue and the epidermis is epithelial tissue.
• The layer beneath the dermis is called the hypodermis.
• Dendritic cells originate in the bone marrow and are important in immune function.
• The stratum corneum is also called the barrier area.
• The stratum spinosum has cells that look prickly because of the desmosomes that join the cells together.
• The stratum lucidum contains closely packed, clear cells that contain a gel-like substance called eleidin.
• Keratinization begins in the stratum granulosum.