Skin

Integumentary System

• Protection against infection, foreign agents

• Protection against dehydration & secretion of salts & water

• Regulation of body temperature

• Collection of sensory information

• Synthesis of vitamin D; Storage of lipid reserves

5 Main Functions of Skin

Nerves in the Skin

Merkels’s Disks

Paciniancorpuscle

Free Nerve endings

Hair Follicle ending

Epidermis

Skin Color

Dermis

Subcutaneous Layer

Skin Disorders

Lesions

PsoriasisRingworm - Tinea

Burns

ABCDE Method to Screen for Melanoma

A … Asymmetry (lopsided)

B … Border irregularity (edges are ragged, blurred or irregular)

C … Color variation (color uneven, may include shades of black, brown and tan)

D … Diameter larger than 6 millimeters

E … Evolution, or changes in the lesion

A ¾ inch square patch of skin on the back of the hand (~ 1/20 of an inch thick) contain:

9 feet of blood vessels, 600 pain sensors, 30 hairs, 300 sweat glands, 4 oil glands,

13 yards of nerves, 9000 nerve endings, 6 cold sensors, 75 pressure sensors

How many of each of these are in the skin on your hand?