Questions and Answers
What is the primary role of mast cells in the initial response to localized injuries to the skin?
During the skin repair process, what occurs after fibroblasts produce scar tissue?
What result is associated with the strengthening of scar tissue by fibroblasts?
Which type of cell is responsible for cleaning the area during the inflammatory response?
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How is the surface area of a burn estimated using the Rule of Nines?
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Which of the following is NOT an effect of aging on the skin?
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What decreases as a result of aging that impacts the skin's overall health?
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Which of the following statements correctly describes the integumentary system's interactions with other systems?
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Which of the following is a characteristic of the inflammatory response during skin injury?
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What change in skin structure is primarily caused by decreased activity of melanocytes with aging?
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Study Notes
Integumentary System Overview
- Comprises accessory structures: hair, hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and nails.
- Structures are derived from the embryonic epidermis and located in the dermis.
Hair Characteristics
- Covers most of the human body except for palms, soles, lips, and some external genitalia.
- Plays various roles: protection, insulation, guarding openings, and sensing light touch.
Hair Follicles
- Located deep in the dermis, producing nonliving hair.
- Wrapped in dense connective tissue with sensory nerves surrounding the base (root hair plexus).
Accessory Structures of Hair
- Arrector pili: Involuntary muscle causing hair to stand up, creating “goose bumps.”
- Sebaceous glands: Lubricate hair and help control bacterial growth.
Hair Structure
- Hair root: Lower part attached to the integument, while hair shaft is the upper part not attached.
- Comprised of keratin: medulla has soft keratin, cortex and cuticle have hard keratin.
Hair Growth Cycle
- Active matrix binds hair during growth; club hair appears when not actively growing.
- Club hair is shed during new hair cycles once follicles activate.
Types of Hair
- Vellus hairs: Soft and fine, covering body surface.
- Terminal hairs: Thick and pigmented, found on the head, eyebrows, and in other body areas after puberty.
Hair Color Determination
- Produced by melanocytes located in the hair papilla; genetics primarily influence color.
Skin Glands and Secretions
- Sebaceous glands (holocrine) secrete sebum; sweat glands (merocrine) produce watery secretions.
- Types of sebaceous glands:
- Simple branched alveolar: Associated with hair follicles.
- Sebaceous follicles: Discharge directly onto the skin surface.
Sebum Function
- Composed of lipids, lubricates and protects the epidermis, inhibits bacterial growth.
Types of Sweat Glands
- Apocrine glands: Located in armpits, around nipples, and groin; produce sticky secretions leading to odors.
- Merocrine (eccrine) glands: Widely distributed, discharging onto skin surface; produce sensible perspiration for cooling.
Functions of Merocrine Sweat
- Aids in cooling the skin, excretes water/electrolytes, flushes harmful substances from skin.
Other Integumentary Glands
- Mammary glands: Produce milk.
- Ceruminous glands: Protect the eardrum and produce earwax (cerumen).
Homeostasis and Thermoregulation
- Sensible perspiration serves important roles in thermoregulation, working closely with the cardiovascular system to regulate body temperature.
Nail Structure and Function
- Nails are protective coverings composed of dead keratinized cells; nail structure can be affected by metabolic disorders.
Skin Injury Repair
- Step 1: Bleeding occurs; mast cells trigger inflammatory response.
- Step 2: A scab forms to stabilize and protect the area.
- Step 3: Germinative cells and macrophages clean the area; fibroblasts produce granulation tissue and scar tissue forms.
- Step 4: Scar tissue strengthened, leading to potential keloid formation.
Rule of Nines
- A method for estimating burn damage by dividing skin surface area into multiples of nine.
Effects of Aging on the Skin
- Thinning of the epidermis, reduced Langerhans cells, decreased vitamin D3 production, and diminished melanocyte and glandular activities.
- Reduced blood supply, hair follicle function, elastic fibers, hormone levels, and slower repair rates with age.
Integumentary System's Interactions
- Protects and interacts with all other organ systems; changes in skin appearance can indicate disorders in other systems.
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Description
Test your knowledge on the integumentary system, focusing on its accessory structures including hair, hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and nails. Explore how these elements contribute to the skin's function and understand the factors affecting hair growth, texture, and color.
