Lecture 5 The epidermis is composed of keratinized stratified

Integumentary system squamous epithelium. It contains four principal types

of cells: 
The Integumentary System
 Keratinocytes – 90% of the epidermal
 Skin- largest organ of human body.
cells arranged in four or five layers and
 Accessory structures of the skin produce the protein keratin. 
 Melanocytes – 8% of the cells and
 Functions of the skin produce the pigment melanin.
 Aging and the integumentary system  Intraepidermal macrophages
 Diseases (Langerhans cells) participate in
immune responses.
SKIN
 Tactile epithelial cells – detect touch
 The integumentary system is composed of the sensations.
skin, hair, oil and sweat glands, nails, and Epidermis
sensory receptors.
 Structurally, the skin consists of 2 main parts:  4 Strata: 
1. The superficial, thinner portion, which  Thin Skin
is composed of epithelial tissue, is the
epidermis.  Stratum basale

2. The deeper, thicker portion is the  Stratum spinosum

dermis, made of dense irregular
 Stratum granulosum
connective tissue.
 (thin) Stratum corneum
 Deep to the dermis, but not part of the skin, is
the subcutaneous (hypodermis). 5 Strata: 
 Thick Skin
 Stratum basale
 Stratum spinosum
 Stratum granulosum
 Stratum lucidum
 (thick) Stratum corneum
 Stratum basale
 Deepest layer
 Composed of a single row of cuboidal or
columnar keratinocytes
 Some cells are stem cells
 Keratin protects the deeper layers from injury 

 Stratum spinosum
 Consists of numerous 8-10 layers of
keratinocytes
 some cells shrink and pull apart when prepared
for microscopic exam. Thus, they appear thorn-
like spines
 Stratum granulosum
 3-5 layers of flattened keratinocytes that
undergoing apoptosis
 Presence of darkly staining granules of a
protein called keratohyalin
 Stratum granulosum
o With membrane-enclosed lamellar
granules – which fuse with the plasma
membrane and release a lipid-rich DERMIS
secretions
 The dermis, is the deeper part of the skin and
 Water-repellent sealant is composed mainly of connective tissue
containing collagen and elastic fibers. 
 Stratum lucidum
 The superficial (papillary region) part of the
o Present only in the thick skin such as dermis makes up about one-fifth of the
the fingertips, palms, and soles thickness of the total layer and consists of
o Consists of 4-6 layers of flattened clear, areolar connective tissue containing fine
elastic fibers. 
dead keratinocytes (contain large
 Its surface area is greatly increased by small,
amount of keratin and thickened
fingerlike projections called dermal papillae,
plasma membrane)
touch receptors (Meissner corpuscles) and
 Stratum corneum free nerve endings. 
o Consists of 25-30 layers of flattened,  The deeper part of the dermis
dead keratinocytes (thin)  (reticular region), which is attached to
the subcutaneous layer, consists of
o 50 or more layers (thick skin) dense irregular connective tissue
 Newly formed cells in the stratum containing bundles of collagen and
basale are slowly pushed to the some coarse elastic fibers. 
surface.   Adipose cells, hair follicles, nerves, oil
 As the cells move from one epidermal glands, and sweat glands are found
layer to the next, they accumulate between the fibers. 
more and more keratin, a process  Melanin, hemoglobin, and carotene
called keratinization. Eventually the are three pigments that impart a wide variety of
keratinized cells slough off and are colors to skin. The amount of melanin causes the
replaced by underlying cells. skin’s color to vary from pale yellow to reddish-
 Dandruff – excessive amount of brown to black.
keratinized cells shed from the skin of
the scalp
  extends from the superficial dermis of
the skin to the dermal root sheath
around the side of the hair follicle. 
 Under physiological or emotional
stress, such as cold or fright,
autonomic nerve endings stimulate the
muscles to contract, which pulls the
hair shafts perpendicular to the skin
surface. 
-“goose bumps” or
“gooseflesh” because the skin
around the shaft forms slight
elevations 
 The color of hair is due to melanin. 
 Gray hair occurs with a decline in melanin.
ACCESSORY STRUCTURES  White hair results from accumulation of air
OF THE SKIN bubbles in the hair shaft.
 Accessory structures of the skin that develop  Glands – are single or groups of epithelial
from the epidermis of an embryo— hair, cells that secrete a substance.
glands, and nails. 
o Sebaceous
 Hair and nails protect the body
o Sudoriferous (sweat)
 Sweat glands help regulate body
o Ceruminous
temperature
 Hairs, or pili, are present on most skin surfaces  Sebaceous glands
except the palms, palmar surfaces of the -secrete an oily substance called sebum
fingers, soles, and plantar surfaces.
-keeps hair from drying out
-is a thread of fused, dead, keratinized
epidermal cells that consists of a shaft (most -prevents excessive evaporation of water
superficial), a root (into the dermis) and
-keeps the skin soft, and 
follicle.
-inhibits certain bacteria
 Associated with hairs are bundles of smooth
muscle called arrector pili and sebaceous  Ceruminous glands
glands or oil glands. -present in the outer ear canal is a yellowish
 Sebaceous glands are usually connected to hair secretion called cerumen or earwax.
follicles; they are absent in the palms and
soles. Two types of sudoriferous glands:
 Apocrine sweat glands – found mainly in the
o produce sebum, which moistens hairs
skin of the axilla (armpit), groin, areolae
and waterproofs the skin.
(pigmented areas around the nipples) of the
 Arrector pili  breasts, and bearded regions of the face in
adult males.
  simple, coiled tubular
glands but have larger
ducts and lumens 

 Eccrine sweat glands – most prevalent sweat

glands distributed throughout most of the
body, especially in the skin of the forehead,
palms, and soles
 simple, coiled tubular
gland

NAILS
3. Cutaneous sensations. These
 Nails are hard, dead, keratinized epidermal include tactile sensations (touch,
cells covering the terminal portions of the
pressure, vibration, and tickling),
fingers and toes. 
thermal sensations (warmth and
 The principal parts of a nail are the nail body, coolness) and pain.
free edge, nail root, lunula, cuticle, and nail
matrix.  4. Excretion and absorption. 

 The proximal portion of the epithelium deep 5. Synthesis of vitamin

to the nail root is called the nail matrix. Cell D. 
division of the matrix cells produces new nails. 

FUNCTIONS OF THE SKIN

The 5 major functions of the skin: 
AGING AND
1. Body temperature regulation. The THE INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
skin contributes to the
homeostatic regulation of body
temperature by liberating sweat at
its surface and by adjusting the
flow of blood in the dermis.
2. Protection. Keratin in the skin
protects underlying tissues
from microbes, abrasion, heat,
and chemicals. Lipids released by
lamellar granules inhibit
evaporation of water from
the skin surface.
 Most of the age-related changes begin at  Callus. An area of hardened and thickened
about age 40 and occur in the proteins in skin that is usually seen in palms and soles
the dermis. and is due to persistent pressure and
friction.
 Collagen fibers in the dermis begin to
decrease in number, stiffen, break apart,
and disorganize into a shapeless, matted
tangle. 
 Elastic fibers lose some of their elasticity,
thicken into clumps, and fray, an effect
that is greatly accelerated in the skin of
smokers.   Cold sore. A lesion, usually in an oral
 mucous membrane, caused by type 1
 Fibroblasts, which produce both collagen herpes simplex virus (HSV) transmitted by
and elastic fibers, decrease in number, the oral or respiratory routes.
result, the skin forms crevices known as
wrinkles. 

Burns: The Rule-of-Nines

Medical Terms  Comedo. A collection of sebaceous
material and dead cells in the hair follicle
 Abrasion. An area where skin has been and excretory duct of the sebaceous (oil)
scraped away. gland. Usually found over the face, chest,
and back, and more commonly during
adolescence. Also called a blackhead. 

 Contact dermatitis (der-ma-T-I -tis;

 Blister. A collection of serous fluid within dermat- = skin; -itis = inflammation of)
the epidermis or between the epidermis Inflammation of the skin characterized by
and dermis, due to short-term but severe redness, itching, and swelling and caused
friction. Bulla refers to a large blister. by exposure of the skin to chemicals that
bring about an allergic reaction, such as
 poison ivy toxin. by patches of red, blistering, dry, extremely
itchy skin

 Contusion (kon-TOO-shun; contundere = to

bruise) Condition in which tissue deep to
the skin is damaged, but the epidermis is   Frostbite. Local destruction of skin and
not broken subcutaneous tissue on exposed surfaces
as a result of extreme cold. In mild cases,
the skin is blue and swollen and there is
slight pain. 

 Corn. A painful conical thickening of the

stratum corneum of the epidermis found
principally over toe joints and between the
toes, often caused by friction or pressure
 Hemangioma (hē-man′-jē-O- -ma; hem- =
blood; -angi- = blood vessel; -oma =tumor)
Localized benign tumor of the skin and
subcutaneous layer that results from an
abnormal increase in the number of blood
vessels

 Cyst (SIST = sac containing fluid) A sac with

a distinct connective tissue wall, containing
a fluid or other material.

 Hives. R
eddened elevated patches of skin that are
often itchy. Most commonly caused by
infections, physical trauma, medications,
emotional stress, food additives, and
 Eczema (EK-ze-ma; ekzeo- = to boil over) certain food allergies. Also called urticaria
An inflammation of the skin characterized (ūr-ti-KAR-ē-a) 
 o Pubic lice are tiny arthropods that
do not jump; they look like
 Papule (PAP-ūl; papula = pimple) A small,
round skin elevation less than 1 cm in
diameter. One example is a pimple.

 Keloid (KE--loid; kelis = tumor) An elevated,

irregular darkened area of excess scar
tissue caused by collagen formation during
healing.
 Pruritus (proo-RI -tus; pruri- = to itch)
Itching, one of the most common
dermatological disorders.

 Keratosis (ker′-a-TO- -sis; kera- = horn)

Formation of a hardened growth of
epidermal tissue, such as solar keratosis, a
premalignant lesion of the sun-exposed  Ringworm
skin of the face and hands. o Tinea corporis – body 
o Tinea cruris – groin 
o Tinea pedis – feet (athlete’s feet)
o Tine unguium – fingers 

 Laceration (las-er-A- -shun; lacer- = torn)

An irregular tear of the skin.

 Wart. Mass produced by uncontrolled

growth of epithelial skin cells; caused by a
papillomavirus.
 Lice Contagious arthropods that include
two basic forms. 
o Head lice are tiny, jumping
arthropods that suck blood from
the scalp. They lay eggs, called nits,
and their saliva causes itching that
may lead to complications.