The integumentary system is a very important part of living. It consists of the skin and its accessory organs – hair, nails, sebaceous, or oil, glands, and the sudoriferous, or sweat, glands. Your skin alone weighs more than six pounds and covers more than three thousand square inches. The skin to me is considered customizable because you can alter it in many different ways. Many people pierce the skin on the ears, face, navel, and genitalia. They also tattoo their skin with permanent ink.
The five main functions of the integumentary system are protection, regulation, sensory reception, absorption, and secretion.
The first function of the integumentary system is protection. The skin acts as a protective barrier to the internal structures of the body. In order to protect the internal organs, the skin prevents anything that is a threat to the body from getting in. For example, bacteria, viruses, and pollutants are harmful substances that are not wanted in the body. Unfortunately, when the skin develops cuts and abrasions, the barrier is broken and bacteria, viruses, and pollutants enter the body. Another form of protection is formed with melanin, which protects the body from harmful ultraviolet rays that are produced by the sun. Finally, the skin produces Vitamin D to help fight off infections.
The second function of the integumentary system is regulation of body temperature. Depending on what the body needs, the skin will regulate the blood in order to achieve its appropriate temperature. For example, when the body needs to cool down, the blood vessels in the skin dilate. This allows more blood to reach the surface of the skin and more heat leave the body. On the other hand, when the body needs to become warm...
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...tissues. Many furuncles are named carbuncles. Staphylococcus aureus is the microbe responsible for the disease process and lives harmlessly on the skin. However, when there is an opening in the skin, the microbes sneak right on in there and thus, a painful furuncle begins to develop. Symptoms include painful red and sometimes purple bumps with the surrounding area in a very tender state. The center of the furuncle, or boil, eventually becomes white or yellow colored due to the growth of pus. The size ranges from the size of a pea to the size of a golf ball. Generally the treatment for boils is having them cut open and drained. You are immediately put on antibiotics afterwards. Patients are taught not to squeeze or pop the boils due to the risk of spreading the infection. The only real prevention is washing your hands regularly with warm water and soap.
To begin we will look at the integumentary system and its entire multitude of functions. The main components of the integumentary system are the skin, hair, nails, glands and nerves. For the purpose of this paper we will focus mainly on the levels of the skin and their functions. While the integumentary
Arch Dermatol. 2007;143(1):124–125. Puchenkova, S. G. (1996). "
Hair is considered one of the components of the integumentary system, along with the skin, nails, glands and nerves. Mammalian hair has many functions including protection from environmental factors and the ability to disperse sweat gland products such as pheromones. Almost every part of the human body is covered by hair except for the palms, hands and bottoms of the feet. On average, every person has about five million hairs; each of these hairs is born from a follicle or tiny tube-like structure that grows into the dermis layer of the skin. Oftentimes this follicle even reaches the subcutaneous layer, which is made of fat and connective tissue. (UXL Complete Health Research, 2001)
The body has specific ways of controlling the internal temperature: if the body is too cold then involuntary shivering occurs this causes the skeletal muscles to contract therefore producing heat. When conscious movement occurs the muscles again contract and relax which generate heat to warm the body up. Another way the body increases the temperature unconsciously the hairs all over the body stand on end causing a layer of air to be trapped, which acts like an insulator. When the body is too warm sweat is produced from pores in the skin, as this liquid sits on the skin it slowly evaporates causing the body temperature to drop, however if ...
Regulation- Blood vessels help maintain a stable body temperature by controlling the blood flow to the surface of the skin (Terfera, David, and Jegtvi)
There are 11 organ systems in the human body and each system has its own function. The Muscular system provides support and protection to other organs and tissue. It also helps in body movement and maintaining heat and body temperature. The digital source by Emma Bryce on “How your muscular system works” explains the types of muscles in the involved in the movement of body.
The system of the body that consists of bones, connective tissues, and cartilage is known as the skeletal system. Some major functions of this system are as follows:
The immune system acts as a defense system against unwanted microbes and pathogens in a healthy human being. It prevents them from entering the body, or if they have already entered the body, it stops them from doing harm to the body. The three main tasks of the immune system are neutralizing pathogens that have entered the body and then remove them, recognizing and removing harmful substances from the body, and fighting against its body’s cells that have been altered due to an illness (PubMed Health).
Homeostasis involves the whole body, but certain organs have larger roles in maintaining the balance. The liver and pancreas maintain suitable glucose levels in the blood, with kidneys removing metabolic waste products and maintaining suitable salt and water levels within the blood. The skin and liver help maintain body temperature with lungs controlling oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood and the blood itself transporting the nutrients and waste products around the body.
The skin is the largest organ in the body, covering the bones and internal organs, protecting them from injuries, it serves as a barrier to germs, and bacteria and helps to prevent fluid loss. The skin helps to control the body’s temperature and also aids in removing certain body wastes, therefore making it a vital organ just as any other organ such as the heart or brain.
The nose is divided into the right and left cavities and is lined with tiny hairs and mucous membrane, which secretes a sticky fluid, called mucus, which helps prevent dust and bacteria from entering the lungs. The nose moistens, warms and filters the air and is an organ, which senses smell. The naso-pharynx is the upper part of the nasal cavity behind the nose, and is lined with mucous membrane. The naso-pharynx continues to filter, warm and moisten the incoming air.
The integumentary system is composed of the skin and the structures related to the skin, which include the hair, the finger nails, the sensory receptors and the glands (Shier, Butler, & Lewis, 2009). This system has an important function since it provides protection to the body, helps to maintain body temperature, and contains sensory receptors (p.117). The skin has essential function such as regulating homeostasis and body temperature, also delaying the loss of water from deeper tissues, storing sensory receptor, synthesizing biomechanical, and discharging waste from the body (p.117). The skin has two layers: the epidermis (outer layer) and the dermis (inner layer) (p.117). There is also a subcutaneous layer or hypodermis (p.117). According to Shier, Butler, and Lewis 2009 “as its name indicates, this layer is beneath the skin and not a true layer of the skin” (p.117). This layer has the blood vessels that supply the skin (p.117).
The body works in amazing ways like a fine tuned machine. All organ systems within the body depend on one another for survival in some way or form at all times. Cherif et al., (2010) state, the body depends on the precise action of each organ to maintain physical, mental, and emotional health of a human being. Also, homeostasis, the regulatory of body temperature plays a survival role in maintaining body functions. The integumentary system (skin) is the largest, and the most important part of the body. The skin is just one of the organ systems that will be discussed (Thibodeau & Patton, 2008). The body is expected to perform specific duties at specific times the organ systems as a whole, the most important organ system the integumentary system, and homeostasis, are what enables the body to perform on demand.
The skin is an elastic covering that protects the body against exposure to dangers within our environment and makes up 15% of the weight of the body. It minimizes water loss, repels water and protects underlying structures. The dermis has blood vessels that are close to the surface to allow blood to flow and reduce the temperature of the body. It also acts as a third kidney that filters and excretes toxins.
Lastly, blood is involved in maintaining homeostasis by negative feedback loops such as temperature regulation, blood pH, blood glucose levels, and blood pressure.