Burns, Hair, and Nails

Burns Can be caused by:

heat, chemicals, electricity, or radiation

Burns are assed based on

depth and amount of area damaged

First degree burns

damage only reaches the first layer of skin with some redness, pain, and no blisters

Second degree burns

damage reaches the entire epidermis and some parts of the dermis and causes blistering and scarring

Third degree burns

damage reaches all three layers of the skin, ranges in color, and victim feels no pain because pain receptors are destroyed

Fourth degree burns

damage goes down to the bone and other underlying structures

Rule of nines

method used to determine the amount of are damaged by burns

Clinical concerns for burn victims include:

bacterial infections, fluid loss, heat loss

Debridement

the removal of damaged skin before skin grafting

autografting

skin grafting with the patients own skin

Heterografting

skin grafting with donor skin

Nails

specialized epithelial cells originating from the nail root that go through the process of keratinization

Cuticle(nails)

a fold of tissue that covers the nail root

Lunula

the half moon part of the nail which is a result of the thicker layer of cells at the base of the nail

Body Hair

helps regulate temperature and acts as a sensor to detect things on skin

Eyelashes

protects the eyes from foreign objects

Nose hair

helps filter out particulate matter

Keratin

a fibrous protein that makes up the hair and nails

Cuticle(hair)

a protective layer of flat cells that cover the hair shaft

Cortex

twisted proteins and melanin pigments that give the hair its color.

Hair follicle

a root that extends into the dermis that has a blood supply

Vasodilation

opens blood vessels which exposes heated blood to external cooling air

Vasoconstriction

makes blood vessels smaller and forces blood away from the skin

Arrector pili muscles

makes the hairs on the skin stand erect

Lesions

pathologically altered areas of tissue