Integumentary System

*Overview

-Integumentary system is the body’s outer layer. It consists of skin, hair, nails, and the glands. It serves as the first barrier of our body fighting against bacteria, infection, injury, and sunlight. It also regulates your body temperature and has a role in thermal sensation 

*What does the integumentary system consist of?

• Skin

-It weighs about six pounds and is 2 millimeters thick

-It composed of three layers and has nerves present in each layer

+Epidermis: It is the outermost layer of your skin that we can see and touch. It provides color for our skin 

+Dermis: It is the thickest layer. It contains hair follicles, sweat and oil glands

+Hypodermis: It is the fat layer of the skin that helps insulate our body

• Nails

-They are located at the end of our fingers and toes

-The nails consist of nail plate, nail fold, nail bed, eponychium, hyponychium, matrix

• Hair

-It is made up of a protein called keratin

-It consists of three main components: 

+Hair shaft: the part that we can see and touch

+Hair follicle: the structure that keeps the hair inside our skin

+Haur bulb: it is responsible for hair growth

• Glands

-They are found throughout the skin and they release chemicals, water, salt, oil to the surface of your skin

-There are 4 different types of glands

+Sudoriferous glands: secret sweat through your skin

+Sebaceous glands: secret oil 

+Ceruminous glands: secret ear wax in our ears

+Mamary glands: they are located on female breast and serve as milk producers

*Funtions of ingumentary system

-It has many important functions:

+Provides protection against bacteria, germs, sunglight

+Heals injuries 

+Excretes sebum, sweat, and other waste from our body

+Regulates body temperature

+Helps us feel and detects sensations