Integumentary System Summary

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to the integumentary system, including its structure, functions, and clinical significance.

Integumentary System

The body's largest organ, comprising the skin and its accessory structures, which serves roles in protection, sensation, temperature regulation, waste excretion, and Vitamin D production.

Epidermis

Outer layer of the skin composed of stratified squamous epithelium, lacking blood vessels.

Dermis

Inner layer of skin, containing connective tissue, blood vessels, and various structures such as hair follicles.

Keratinization

The process of hardening, dehydration, and keratin accumulation as epidermal cells (keratinocytes) migrate outward.

Melanocytes

Cells in the stratum basale that produce melanin pigment, which protects against UV radiation.

Homeostasis

The body's ability to maintain a stable internal environment, which the skin helps regulate.

Hyperthermia

Abnormally high body temperature, occurring when heat gain exceeds heat loss.

Hypothermia

Abnormally low body temperature resulting from prolonged cold exposure.

Sebaceous Glands

Holocrine glands associated with hair follicles that produce sebum, helping to keep skin and hair moisturized.

Acne

A disorder of sebaceous glands common at puberty, characterized by clogged glands and inflammation.

Sweat Glands

Glands in the skin that help regulate body temperature and excrete waste; include eccrine and apocrine glands.

Stratum Corneum

Outermost layer of the epidermis, consisting of dead, keratinized cells.

Stratum Basale

Deepest layer of the epidermis where cell division occurs and includes melanocytes.

Regulation of Body Temperature

Mechanisms by which the body maintains its internal temperature, including sweating and blood vessel adjustments.

Rule of Nines

A method for estimating the extent of burns on the body by dividing it into regions of 9% or multiples of 9.

Cutaneous Membrane

Another term for the skin, which encompasses the epidermis and dermis.

Fibrin

A protein involved in blood clotting that forms a network to stop bleeding during wound healing.

Phagocytes

Cells that protect the body by engulfing and digesting cellular debris and pathogens.