People don’t normally read
the dictionary in their
free time, so when I start
talking about the
Integumentary System,
people don’t think much of
it.
And because of that, I
have decided to put it
into terms the average
American can understand:
What is skin?
• Skin is one big container, holding all your insides… inside.
Not to
mention your sense of touch.
• Skin also has appendages, such as hair, nails, sweat, and the
sebaceous glands (these make the oil that can cause acne.)
• Without skin, you’d probably look like this guy:
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Aren’t you glad you have skin?
What’s It Made Up Of?
• Though it may not look so, skin can be compared to the roof over your
head.
•Like a rooftop, skin is composed of dead cells layered upon one another,
shielding from: infectious bacteria, toxic materials, dehydration, changes in
temperature, and other things we can’t possibly see or feel.
For more Information about the components of skin and to watch an animation visit:
http://health.howstuffworks.com/adam-200098.htm
So What’s It Really Made Up Of?
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The skin has three major sections: The Epidermis, the Dermis, and the
Subcutaneous Layer.
The Epidermis
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The Epidermis is the outer layer of skin that you can see, touch, and
feel.
Contains pigment melanin that give skin color. Freckles are caused by
an imbalance of melanin.
The layers of skin mentioned before are also part of the Epidermis.
The dead cells are replaced by cells from the living layer underneath it.
The Dermis
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The Dermis can be defined as the inner layer of the skin.
It is thick whereas the epidermis is thin.
It’s made up of blood vessels, connective tissue, nerves, lymph vessels, glands,
receptors, and hair shafts.
There are two layers of the Dermis:
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Connective
Tissue
The upper Papillary- Deep ridges and grooves forming fingerprints. It also holds the
receptors that tell you whether something is hot or cold, painful or not, etc.
The lower Reticular- dense connective tissue which holds hair follicles, (pretty much
the root of the hair) nerves, and some key glands such as the sebaceous, sudorferous,
(sweat) and ceruminous glands (ear wax).
Sweat Gland
Sebaceous
Gland
Arrector Pili muscle
The Subcutaneous Layer
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Think of the Subcutaneous Layer like cushioning for the fragile organs
inside.
Also, the subcutaneous layer is a type of insulation, keeping your body
heat.
The Appendages
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As mentioned before, the Appendages are as follows:
Hair: Includes claws, feathers, horns, and scales. Starts at the hair
root and then grows outside of skin. Genetics control color, baldness,
and texture.
Nails: Keratin (a type of protein) hardens the epidermis creating
fingernails. Cells forming the nail link together.
Sweat: The sweat glands, also called the eccrine and apocrine glands,
are a type of cooling for the body. It lets out beads of water which
evaporate, cooling the body. The eccrine gland is connected to the
sympathetic nervous system and is activated when nervous, or for
strenuous activity. It also makes your heart beat faster in those
situations. The Apocrine gland is located in your armpits and groin, it
also produces a chemical that bacteria “act upon to produce sweat.”
The Sebaceous Glands: discharges an oil that keeps hair and skin
soft. If overproduced, it can cause pimples
How Do We Use It?
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• Skin is mainly used to protect the body
from toxins outside the body, but there are
other ways that humans use their skin such
as:
• Marking the skin with things like
tattoos and scarring as a work of art.
•Mutilation of the skin in come
countries are seen as rites of passage
(2) or to symbolize a specific group,
like the Yakuza of Japan (1)
•The TV series TABOO covers some of
these areas. (3)
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2
Is That It?
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Actually, skin is also
used to attract the
opposite sex or to make
one look “beautiful”.
Many products are out
to “improve” the look
and feel of skin. Some
include makeup, face
wash, and acne
treatments.
What Kinds of Diseases Can Occur?
• Skin cancer from UV Rays affect the skin from too
much exposure of sun.
•Also dermatives, hives, and rashes can occur.
For more information on different skin diseases and an animation, visit here:
http://pennhealth.com/health_info/animationplayer/skin_conditions.html
How Do We Protect It?
Just as there are makeup products and skin care,
there’s also products like aloe vera and sunscreen, to
protect skin from damage.
Skin really is a versatile
thing. It protects,
shields, holds, stretches,
itches, stings, burns,
cools, heals, and comes in
many different colors.
All we have to do
is make sure it’s
taken care of.
LINKS
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www.skincareblog.org/
http://www.mineral-makeup-reviews.com/Serious-Skin-Care-Mineral-Makeup-Reviews.html
www.medicalook.com
http://www.savvy-spa.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2006/12/skin%20care.jpg
http://www.aloette.com/images/standard/Skin_Care.jpg
http://www.nadarra.com/images/Natural-Skin-Care-Products-Sensitive-Skin.jpg
http://itsallaboutbeauty.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/skin-care.jpg
http://www.auraskinspa.com/images/sc_products.jpg
http://medicalimages.allrefer.com/large/sunburn-2.jpg
http://www.drpaitoon.com/aloe_vera/aloebottle.jpg
http://www.druzillabrown.com/store/images/uploads/aloe_vera_400x371.jpg
www.cosmosmagazine.com/node/1021
http://www.prplastic.com/images/skinceuticals%20skin%20care%20lady%20putting%20on%20sunblock.j
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http://www.scrapbookscrapbook.com/images/animalskinsetc.jpg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ridinfast/196713389/
http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Photography/Images/Conte
nt/elephant-skin-663376-ga.jpg
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http://www.lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/mb140/CorePages/Epithelia/Images/oes041he1.jpg
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http://science.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Science/Images/Content/epider
mis-sb3849-sw.jpg
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http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/2007/09/070906132823.jpg
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http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/taboo/gallery_skin-deep.html#photo
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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19325.jpg