The Integumentary
System
Medical Terminology
Mrs. Opland
Function of the Integumentary
System
• Skin
– Bodies 1st line of defense
• Sebaceous glands (oil gland)
– Secrete sebum that lubricates the skin &
discourages growth of bacteria on the skin
• Sweat glands
– Regulate body temperature by sweating
• Hair
– Contols the loss of body heat & receptor for
the sensation of touch
• Nails
– Protect dorsal surface of the last bone of each
toe & finger
•
Structures of Integumentary
System
skin
– Epithelium, cutaneous,
derma
• covers external surfaces
of the body
– Layers of
• Epidermis
– Outermost layer
– Dermis
• Middle layer
• Composed of blood, nerve
fibers, etc.
• Connective tissues found
here
• Nerve endings enable
body to recognize
sensations such as temp,
touch, pain, and pressure
» tactile = pertaining
to touch
» Perception =
ability to recognize
sensory stimulus
– Nerve endings enable body to recognize sensations such
as temp, touch, pain, and pressure
» tactile = pertaining to touch
» Perception = ability to recognize sensory stimulus
• Subcutaneous layer
–
–
–
–
Connective tissue layer
Formation of fat
Lipocytes = fat cells
Combining form
» Lip/o = fat
Associated Structures
• sebaceous glands
– secrete oil
– sebum = oily substance released by sebaceous
glands
• combining form
– seb/o
• sweat glands
–
–
–
–
pores: opening of glands on surface of skin
sweat: excess water as it cools the skin
perspiration: excretion of fluid from skin
hidrosis: production and excretions of sweat
• hidr/o = sweat
• hair
– combining form
• pil/i & pil/o
– hair follicles
• shafts or sacs that hold
the hair fibers
• nails
– also known as an
unguis
– combining form
• ungu/o, onych/o
– three parts
• root
• body
• free edge
– eponychium / cuticle
Diagnostic procedures
• Biopsy
– Removal of a small piece of
tissue
• Incisional biopsy
– A piece but not all of the
tumor
• Excisional biopsy
– Entire tumor or lesion plus
a margin of surrounding
tissue are removed
– Excision = complete
removal
Diagnostic procedures
• Needle biopsy
– Needle used to remove
a core of tissue
• Exfoliative cytology
– Cells scraped from the
tissue and examined
under microscope
Pathology of Skin
• Sebaceous and sweat glands
– Seborrhea
• Overproduction of sebum
– Acne vulgaris
• Inflammatory disease characterized by
pustular eruptions
Pathology of Skin
– Comedo /
blackhead
• Buildup of
sebum and
keratin in a
pore of the
skin
– Sebaceous cyst
• Cyst of
sebaceous
gland,
containing
yellow, fatty
material
– Hyperhidrosis
• Excessive sweating
– Anhidrosis
• Lacking or being without sweat
• Hair
– Pilonidal cyst
• Hair-containing cyst
– Hirsutism
• Abnormal hairiness
– Alopecia
• Baldness, partial
or complete
– Alopecia areata
• Unknown etiology, well-defined bald patches
– Alopecia totalis
• Uncommon, loss of all the hair on the scalp
– Alopecia universalis
• Total loss of hair on all parts of the body
• Nails
– Onchia / onychitis
• Inflammation of the nail
– Paronychia
• Infection of the fold of skin
at the margin of a nail
– Onychophagia
• Nail biting or eating
– Onychocryptosis
• Ingrown toenail
– Onychomycosis
• Fungus infection of the nail
– Subungual hematoma
• Collection of blood under a nail
– Koilonychia
• Spoon nail
• Outer surface of nail is concave
– Clubbing
•Abnormal flattening of the
nail, often accompanied by
enlargement of the
fingertips
• Pigmentation
– Dyschromia
• Disorder of pigmentation of hair or skin
– Melanosis
• Deposits of black pigment in
different parts of the body
– Albinism
• Inherited deficiency or absence
of pigment in skin, hair, and eyes
– Vitiligo
• Loss of pigment in areas of skin,
resulting in milk-white patches
• Surface lesions
– Lesions
• Pathologic change of tissues due to disease or injury
– Contusion
• Injury, does not break skin,
swelling, discoloration, pain
– Papule
• Small, solid, raised skin < .5 cm
• Surface lesions
– Plaque
• Solid raised lesion > .5 cm
– Macule
• Flat skin lesion
• Freckle, mole
– Patch
• Localized change in skin color > 1 cm
– Scale
• Flaking or dry patch made up of excess dead
epidermal cells
– Crust
• Collection of dried serum and cellular debris
– Wheal
• Smooth, slightly elevated, swollen area
• Insect bite, allergic reaction
– Ecchymosis
• Bruise
• Purplish area caused by bleeding into skin
– Petechiae
• Small, pinpoint hemorrhage
– Verrucae
• Warts
• Caused by virus
– Birthmark / patch / nevus
• Congenital pigmented cells on the
skin surface
– Port-wine stain
• Flat persistent dark red birthmark
made up of pimented cells
• Strawberry hemangioma
– Raised birthmark
• Hemangioma
– Benign tumor made up of newly formed
blood vessels
• Fluid-filled lesions
– Cyst
• Closed sack or pouch containing
fluid or semisolid material
– Pustule
• Circumscribed elevation of skin
containing pus
• Circumscribed
– Contained within a limited area
– Vesicle
• Blister
• Circumscribed elevation of skin
containing fluid
– Bulla
• Large vesicle or blister > .5 cm
– Abcess
• Localized collection of pus
• Lesions through the skin
– Laceration
• Torn or jagged wound
– Ulcer
• Open sore or erosion of skin or
mucous membrane
– Decubitus ulcer
• Pressure ulcer, bedsore
• Results from prolonged
pressure on a body part
– Fissure
• Groove or cracklike sore
– Fistula
• Abnormal passage from an internal organ to the
body surface or between two organs
• General
– Dermatosis
• Any skin lesion or group or lesions,
or eruptions Of any type NOT
associated with inflammation
– Dermatitis
• Inflammation of the skin
– Contact dermatitis
• Localized allergic response
caused by contact with an irritant
or allergen
– Puritus
• Itching
– Uticaria
• Hives
– Erythroderma
• Abnormal redness of the skin
– Erythema
• Redness or inflammation of the skin
– Psoriasis
• Chronic skin disorder
• Symptoms = itching, silvery scales
– Purpura
• Hemorrhage into the skin that causes
bruising
– Eczema
• Inflammatory skin condition
• Symptoms = erythema, papules,
vesicles, pustules, scales, crusts, and
scabs alone or in combination
– Abrasion
• Injury – superficial layers of skin are
scraped or rubbed away
• Infections
– Cellulitis
• Inflammation of skin cells
– Pyodema
• Purulent skin disease (py/0 = pus)
– Impetigo
• Contagious purulent skin disease
• Symptoms = honey crusted drainage
– Furuncle
• Boil
– Dermatomycosis
• Fungal infection of the skin
– Gangrene
• Death of skin tissue
– Putrefaction
• Decay that produces foul-smelling odors
– Scleroderma
• Hard skin
• Abnormal
thickening of skin tissues
– Tinea
• Ringworm
• Fungal skin disease
Tinea capitis: found on the scalp
Tinea pedis: athletes foot
Tinea cruris: jock itch
• Infestations
Occupation and dwelling of a parasite on external
surface of the skin
– Scabies
• Caused by itch mite
– Pediculosis
• Infestation with lice
– Pediculosis capitis
• Head lice
– Pediculosis corporis
• Body lice
– Pediculosis pubis
• Lice in the pubic hair / pubic region
• Skin cancer
– Malignant melanoma
• Skin cancer
– Basal cell carcinoma
• Found in basal cell layer of the
epidermis (skin)
• Usually found on the face,
most frequent and least harmful
type of skin cancer
– Squamous cell carcinoma
• Malignant tumor
• Starts as sore that do not heal or
sores with crusted, heaped-up look
• Skin Growths
– Granuloma
• Small knotlike swellings
– Skin tags
• Small flesh-colored growths that
hang from the body
– Polyp
• Mushroom like growth from
surface mucous membrane
– Cicatrix
• “normal” scar left by healed wound
– Keloid
• Abnormally raised or
thickened scar
– Lipoma
• Benign tumor made of fat cells
• Burns
– Burn
• Injury to skin tissue caused by
heat, flame, electricity, chemicals
or radiation
• 1st degree burns
– Superficial
– No blisters
• 2nd degree burns
– Damage to epidermis and dermis
– Blisters
• 3rd degree burns
– Damage to dermis, epidermis,
and subcutaneous layers
Procedures of the Integumentary System
• Tissue removal
– Debridement
• Removal of dirt, foreign objects, damaged tissue,
and cellular debris from wound
Procedures of the Integumentary System
– Incision and drainage (I&D)
• Cutting open and draining a skin condition
– Chemical peel (chemabrasion)
• Use of chemicals to remove the
outer layers of skin to treat acne
scaring, fine wrinkling etc.
– Dermabrasion
• Abrasion involving the use of
revolving wire brushes or sandpaper
– Cauterization
• Destruction of tissue for therapeutic
purposes
– Cyrosurgery
• Destruction of tissue through the
application of extreme cold
• Laser treatment of skin conditions
– Laser
• Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of
Radiation
• Rhinophym
– Bulbous nose, overgrowth of skin and oil galnds of the
nose
– TX: carbon dioxide laser to reshape the nose by
vaporizing the excess tissue
• Port-wine stain
– Birthmark
– Treated using short pulses of laser light to remove
• Tattoos
– Removed by using lasers that target particular colors