LAB WORKSHEET Name: Daniel Fawcett

The Integumentary System

The Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue

1. Describe at least four of the functions of skin.

Protection: To provide a layer (or several layers) of cushion and insulation to protect the body.

Body Temperature Regulation: The skin sweats and has a capillary network to regulate your body

temperature. Similar to that of your car or computer trying to remove heat and keep itself at a certain

temperature, for us humans that is what our skin does for us (though not entirely on its own).

Excretion: The skin excretes water, salt and urea though sweat.

Sensory Reception: Our skin has these many sensory receptors that are working with nerve endings to send

messages to our brain such as with pressure, touch, temperature and pain. Gives us our awareness of our

surroundings that our eyes can’t inform us of.

2. Describe the ways that you can distinguish thick and thin skin microscopically.

You can tell whether what you are looking at thick or thin skin is by looking at the number of strata, or

epidermal layers. In thick skin there is five layers, while thin skin has 4 layers. This extra layer that is in

thick skin is known as stratum lucidum, a layer of clear dead keratinocytes under the stratum corneum (the

outermost layer). You can also tell that it is not the stratum granulosum because there isn't any living

keratinocytes producing keratin. Microscopically speaking you can check whether the stratum corneum

goes to the stratum granulosum or will go through a thin layer of stratum lucidum by looking for any living

keratinocytes, as the stratum lucidum will not have them.

 3. List the 5 epidermal layers of thick skin in order from superficial to deep.

Stratum Corneum, Stratum Lucidum, Stratum Granulosum, Stratum Spinosum, Stratum Basale.

4. What are the two layers of the dermis?

Papillary Dermis & Reticular Dermis

5. What three pigments contribute to skin color?

Melanin (Ranging from yellow to reddish to brown to black)

Carotene (yellow-orange)

Hemoglobin (crimson)

6. Describe the function and location of the following epidermal cells: keratinocytes, melanocytes,
Merkel cells, and Langerhans cells.

Keratinocytes – Produce Keratin, tension-resisting protein that makes the epidermis tough and able to resist

friction. Keratinocytes also produce antibiotics and enzymes that detoxify the skin. Keratinocytes are

produced in the deepest part of the epidermis and are pushed up by newly formed keratinocytes.

Melanocytes – Found in the stratum basale, makes the dark skin pigment melanin and also release signaling

molecules in response to ultraviolet radiation to promote an immune response in the skin.

Merkel Cells (AKA Tactile epithelial cells) – Function as receptors for touch, found in the stratum basale

and are distributed amoung keratinocytes.

Langerhans Cells- Found most prominently in the stratum spinosum, these macrophages take up and

process microbial antigens to becomes fully funtion antigen-presenting cells. Involved in immune response.
Appendages of the Skin
1. Describe the layers that make up the wall of the hair follicle.

Peripheral connective tissue sheath – Derived from the dermis, forms the external layer of the follicle wall

Glassy membrane – at the junction of the fibrous sheath and the epithelial root sheath. Basement membrane
of the follicle epithelium

Epithelial root sheath – Derived from the epidermis, has two components: The external root sheath which is
a direct continuation of the epidermis and the root sheath, which is derived from the matrix cells.

2. A hair consists of three concentric layers of keratinized cells. What are the three layers from the
deepest to most superficial?

Medulla, the cortex and then the cuticle

3. Distinguish between sebaceous glands and sudoriferous glands.

Sabaceous glands are the skin’s oil glands. They occur over the body except for the palms and soles. They
are alveolar glands.

Sudoriferous glands, or sweat glands, cover nearly everywhere on our skin except on the nipples and parts
of the external genitalia. Eccrine glands, a type of sweat glands, is most abundant on the palms soles and
forehead. Apocrine sweat glands are from axillary, anal and genital areas.

Disorders of the Integumentary System

1. Distinguish between first, second and third-degree burns.

1st degree burns – only the epidermis is damaged, symptoms include redness, swelling and pain (typical

inflammatory response)
2nd degree bruns involve injury to the epidermis and the upper part of the dermis, symptoms are similar to

first-degree burns but blisters also appear

3rd degree burns – consume the entire thickness of the skin, also known as full-thickness burns. Burned

areas appear white, red or blackened. This type of burn takes a while to regenerate, if it even does, so

typically these types of burns are instead treated with skin grafts to replace the damaged skin.

2. Distinguish between basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma.

Basal cell carcinoma is the least malignant of skin cancers, typically caused by cells of the stratum

basale proliferating, invading the dermis and subcutaneous tissue, and causing tissue erosions there.

Typically appears as dome shaped lesions, shiny nodules on sun-exposed areas of the face. They often

bleed and gain a central ulcer. Basal cell carcinoma grows relatively slowly and metastasis rarely

occurs. Treated by surgical removal.

Squamous cell carcinoma arises from keratinocytes of the stratum spinosum. Appear as scaly irregular,

reddened papule that grows rapidly and metastasize if not removed. Treated by radiation therapy,

surgery or by skin creams containing anticancer drugs.

3. What is melanoma? What is the ABCDE rule for recognizing melanoma?

Melanoma is a cancer of melanocytes, most dangerous type of skin cancer.

The ABCDE rule is the suggestion from The American Cancer Society for individuals that frequent sun

exposure to regularly examine their skin for moles and new pigment spots. Using the ABCDE rule you

may recognize melanome: A, Asymmetry: The two halves of the spot or mole do not match; B, Border

irregularity: The borders have indentations and notches; C, Color: The pigment spot contains several

colors, including blacks, browns, tans, and sometimes blues and reds; D, Diameter: larger than 6 mm

(larger than a pencil eraser), E, for Evolution referring to a change in size, shape or color