Integumentary System Flashcards

Flashcards to review the integumentary system, covering structure, function, and associated conditions.

What are the main components of the integumentary system?

The skin, hair, oil and sweat glands, nails, and sensory receptors.

What percentage of total body weight does the skin account for?

Approximately 16%.

List four functions of the integumentary system.

Protection, temperature maintenance, vitamin D conversion, and sensory information.

Name the two major components of the skin.

Cutaneous membrane (the skin (dermis, epidermis, hypodermis) and accessory structures. (Nails, glands, hair)

What is the function of melanin?

Protection against UV radiation.

What is the function of keratin?

Abrasion resistance and water repellency.

Name the sensory receptors located in the dermis responsible for detection of vibration and deep pressure.

Pacinian corpuscles (lamellated corpuscle).

Name the layers of the skin.

Epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis.

In what layer of the skin are blood vessels, hair follicles, and sweat glands located?

Dermis.

Which layer of the epidermis is only present in thick skin?

Stratum lucidum.

Explain the water-resistance of the stratum corneum.

Water-resistant, not waterproof, due to insensible perspiration (unable to see or feel) and sensible perspiration (sweat).

Which epidermal cell is responsible for immune defense against microorganisms and superficial skin cancers?

Dendritic (Langerhans) cells.

The Epidermis contains four major types of cells, list them.

Keratinocytes, Melanocytes, Intraepidermal macrophages (Langerhans cell), Tactile epithelial cells (Merkel cell)

Where is thick skin found?

Palms, palmar surfaces of digits, and soles.

Which layer of the epidermis is attached to the basement membrane?

Stratum basale.

What is the function of the desmosomes found in the stratum spinosum?

Binding keratinocytes together.

Where are melanocytes mostly found?

Stratum basale.

Which layer of the dermis contains dermal ridges that house blood capillaries and tactile corpuscles?

Papillary layer.

What tissues are the hypodermis mainly composed of?

Loose connective and fatty tissues.

What is the main tissue type in the dermis?

Connective tissue.

What is the function of the hypodermis?

Anchors skin to underlying organs.

What percentage of total blood volume can the dermis hold?

8–10%.

Name three types of cutaneous sensations.

Touch, pressure, pain, temperature.

What is transdermal drug administration?

Passage of materials from the external environment into body cells

What two pigments influence skin color?

Melanin and carotene.

What is the cause of cyanosis?

Low oxygen content in the blood.

What is the cause of albinism?

Inherited inability to produce melanin.

Where are hairs NOT found?

Palms of hands, soles of feet, sides of fingers and toes, lips, parts of external genitalia.

What is the difference between vellus hairs and terminal hairs?

Terminal hairs are large, coarse, darkly pigmented, while vellus hairs are smaller, shorter, delicate, and found on the general body surface.

Name three parts of a hair.

Shaft, follicle, and root.

What part of the hair provides pigment for hair color?

Melanocytes.

What are the stages of hair growth?

Growth stage, Regression stage and Resting stage.

Name three structures are associated with hair.

Hair follicle, arrector pili, sebaceous gland, and sweat gland.

What causes gray hair?

Progressive decline in melanin production.

What are nails made of?

Keratinized epidermal cells.

What is the eponychium?

The cuticle

What is the function of the sebaceous glands?

Produce oil (lubricant for skin; kills bacteria).

Name the three types of skin glands.

Sebaceous glands, sudoriferous glands, and ceruminous glands.

What are the two types of sudoriferous glands?

Eccrine and apocrine.

What is the function of eccrine sweat glands?

Primary component of thermoregulation.

When do apocrine glands begin functioning?

At puberty.

Where are ceruminous glands located?

External acoustic meatus.

Which type of skin lacks epidermal ridges?

Thin skin.

What is the first step to repairing damaged skin?

The formation of a blood clot.

What types of cells mobilize to repair damaged tissue by collagen deposition?

Fibroblasts.

Describe epidermal wound healing.

Occurs when superficial wounds affect only the epidermis.

List three age-associated changes in the skin.

Wrinkles, dehydration, decreased sweat production, gray hair, decreased subcutaneous fat, and brittle nails.

Define athlete's foot.

Fungal infection.

Describe eczema.

An inflammatory condition that occurs in individuals of all ages. It is an allergic reaction that manifests as dry, itchy patches of skin that look like a rash.

What is a burn?

Tissue damage caused by excessive heat, electricity, radioactivity, or corrosive chemicals that denature (break down) the proteins in the skin cells.

What are the associated dangers of burns?

Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and circulatory shock.

What is the rule of nines?

Way to determine the extent of burns; body is divided into 11 areas for quick estimation, and each area represents about 9%.

Describe a first-degree burn.

Only the epidermis is damaged; skin is red and swollen.

Describe a second-degree burn.

Epidermis and upper dermis are damaged; skin is red with blisters.

Describe a third-degree burn.

Destroys the entire skin layer; burn is gray-white or black.

Name three skin functions affected by burns.

Fluid and electrolyte balance, thermoregulation, protection from infection.

Name the most common cause of skin cancer.

Excessive exposure to ultraviolet light (from the sun or tanning salons).

What are the three major types of skin cancer?

Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma.

Which type of skin cancer is the most deadly?

Malignant melanoma.

List the ABCDE rule for melanoma detection.

Asymmetry, Border Irregularity, Color, Diameter, Evolving.

What is the origin of basal cell carcinoma?

Stratum basale.

What happens to cancerous melanocytes in Malignant Melanoma?

Cancerous melanocytes grow rapidly and metastasize through the lymphatic system.