Integumentary System

The skin at times may seem like it isn't very important while in all reality it is incredibly important to the well being of the body. The integumentary system is split into three major regions the Epidermis,Dermis, and Hypodermis. The Epidermis is the outer layer of the skin that is exposed to the outside environment. It also serves as protection of the inner skin. This layer of the skin includes waterproofing and protection from abrasion and penetration. The next region of skin is the Dermis. In this second region of the skin it contains the strong flexible connective tissues of the body. There are also white blood cells and fibroblasts. It also split up into two layers,the papillary and reticular. The deepest region of the skin is the Hypodermis. It is composed of adipose and areolar connective tissues. The Integumentary systems is critical to our bodies being able to function properly and have many important functions. The Integummentary system protects the inner body from chemical,physical and mechanical harms. It also helps to cool and warm the body by using cooling and constriction. They also help to increase sweat glands to cool off the body. There are also the Cutaneous sensation that sense touch and pain.The skin also helps when excretion takes place and it gets rid of wastes through sweat.

While skin is wodnderful to the body and helps it,it can also get infected and make the body sick. There are three types of skin cancer which are Basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma,and Melanoma.The least deadly and most common type of skin cancer is the Basal Cell Carcinoma. It is very slow growing and it almost never mestasize. 99% of the time this cancer can be surgically removed. The next type of cancer is the Squamous Cell Carcinoma. It is mostly found on the scalp, lower lip, and the ears. It grows much faster thatn the Basal Cell and will metastasize if it is not removed. It will most likely be removed it is treated by radiation therapy or by surgery.The last type of skin cancer is the most deadly and it is called Melanoma. There is a rule for telling when it is a melanoma skin cancer called the ABCD rule.
A: Asmmetry: The infected area has two sides that do not match.
B:The borders are irregular and have jagged sides.
C: The color is either,black,brown,tan,and red or blue.
D: The diameter is larger than the size of a pencil eraser,or 6mm.
Chances of surviving this cancer are very low if the pigment is over 4mm thick.
The next type of problem to happen to the skin is when the skin gets burned. When a burn occurs it is split into three different degrees. First Degree is when the Epidermis or the outtermost layer of the skin is burned and damaged. This is the most minor of the burns and usually does leave much of a mark. Second degree burns is when the epidermis and the top of the dermis is burned and damaged. At first the symptoms look like a first degree burn but often have blisters appear and rashes occur. Third-degree burns is ehen the entire thickness of the skin is damaged and this can often lead to death. Because the nerve endings are destroyed no pain is initially felt.
There is a rule to determine the severity of burns and it is called the Rule of Nines. Burns are considered critical if over 25% of the body has second degree burns or if 10% has third degree burns.

The picture above shows how the Rule of nines is divided between the different parts of the body. As you can see the legs and anterior are the major parts and can not be damaged. When those parts are damaged in increasing the chances of the injury becoming fatal.