The First Line of Defense For You
By: Aniket Pal, 3rd Period
5 Functions
- The skin excretes waste from your body through perspiration/sweating.
- Temporarily stores fat, water, and Vitamin D.
- Creates Vitamin D from the Sun's ultraviolet(UV) rays
- Safeguards and protects your internal organs.
- Protects you from bacteria and disease entering your body.
Integumentary System: Organs and Tissues
The organs are the skin, nails, and hair. The skin is comprised of the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is on top and is thinner than the dermis. The dermis is thicker and is under the epidermis. The dermis also contains blood vessels. The nails protect the nerves and vessels undr them. The hair is outgrowth of the skin and can be thick or thin.
3 Ailments
- Acne, is when your hair folicles get filled with sebum. Then oil and bacteria bring on white blood cells that causes inflamation of the area. You can see the inflamated areas on you. You can usually self-treat it with over the counter medication. If it spreads and gets out of hand you should see a dermatologist to help, and in the process get a makeup artist to cover it up. You will receive antibiotics to kill the bacteria causing the inflamation.
- Athlete's Foot, is a fungal infection that grows on skin, and especially likes the feet. It grows well in warm, damp, and dark environments. When your foot is in your shoe it is perfect for the fungus to grow. You can tell you have it if your skin between your toes gets scaly and itchy. You need antifungal treatment to remove it. If you can't, then try using antibiotic soap. To help soothe it you can soak it in warm water.
- Skin Cancer, It is the most common type of cancer. It is caused by excessive and intensive exposure to Ultraviolet Rays. It first hits the epidermis and later reaches the dermis. If you notice the red sunburned, or hurting patches early on and treat them you will be fine. If you see a dermatologist/cancer specialist, they have many treatments. You may need to get surgery to help/replace/fix the hurt skin.
How can the Integumentary System Work With the Circulatory System
The integumentary system contains the dermis. The dermis houses blood vessels. Blood vessels carry blood cells that circulate throughout the circulatory system. The nervous system also ties in with the integumentary system. There are nerves in your dermis that give you sense.