skin appendage

Examples of skin appendage in the following topics:

• Deep Wound Healing

  • A deep wound involves the inner, deeper layers of the skin (dermis).
  • However, with the removal of the dermis and its associated skin appendages, re-epithelialization can only occur from the wound edge, with no contribution from the dermal compartment.
  • For example scars are less flexible than skin, and do not feature sweat glands or hair follicles.
  • However, the ECM of mature skin is rich in collagen I.

• Metabolic Functions

  • One of the metabolic functions of the skin is the production of vitamin D3 when ultraviolet light reacts with 7-dehydrocholesterol.
  • The integumentary system is the largest of the body's organ systems, made up of the skin and its associated appendages.
  • Cholecalciferol and ergocalciferol can be ingested from the diet and from supplements, however very few foods are rich in vitamin D; and so synthesis within the skin is a key source.
  • The human skin consists of three major layers: the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis.
  • Depending on the intensity of UVB rays and the minutes of exposure, an equilibrium can develop in the skin, and vitamin D degrades as fast as it is generated.

• Overview of the Body's Surface

  • The human skin is the outer covering of the body.
  • There are two general types of skin, hairy and glabrous skin.
  • The adjective cutaneous literally means "of the skin" (from Latin cutis, skin).Because it interfaces with the environment, skin plays a key role in protecting the body against pathogens and excessive water loss.
  • The skin is the largest organ in the human body.
  • The Skin is composed of three primary layers:the epidermis, which provides waterproofing and serves as a barrier to infection; the dermis, which serves as a location for the appendages of skin; and the hypodermis.

• Development of the Integumentary System

  • The largest organ in the body is the skin.
  • The integument also includes appendages, primarily the sweat and sebaceous glands, hair, nails and arrectores pillorum (tiny muscles at the root of each hair that cause goose bumps).
  • Fetal skin forms from three layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and neural crest cells.
  • Figure 1 shows a diagram of the skin structure.

• Agnathans: Jawless Fishes

  • A defining feature of agnathans is the lack of paired lateral appendages or fins.
  • Some of the earliest jawless fishes were the ostracoderms (Greek for "bone-skin") .
  • Hagfish have slime glands beneath the skin that constantly release mucus, allowing them to escape from the grip of predators.
  • Lampreys are morphologically similar to hagfishes and also lack paired appendages.

• Directional Terms

  • These are mostly used with animal anatomy, but can be used in human anatomy as long as they are describing the side of an appendage.
  • For example, bones in an appendage are located deeper than the muscles.
  • For example, the outer layers of skin are superficial to deeper layers of skin.
  • When describing appendages, the proximal end of the appendage connects the appendage to the body, while the distal end is away from the body.

• Epidermal Wound Healing

  • Epidermal wound healing describes the mechanism by which the skin repairs itself after injury.
  • Additionally, epidermal cells from dermal appendages, such as hair follicles, can contribute to wound closure.

• Rhinoplasty

  • The plastic surgical correction of congenital and acquired abnormalities of the nose restores functional and aesthetic properties by the surgeon's manipulations of the nasal skin, the subcutaneous (underlying) cartilage-and-bone support framework, and the mucous membrane lining.
  • A picture of a classical correction of the nasal appendage is seen in Figure 2.
  • The open rhinoplasty approach in turn affords the plastic surgeon the advantages of ease in securing the grafts (skin, cartilage, bone) and, most important, in seeing the nasal cartilages proper, and so make the appropriate diagnosis.
  • This procedural aspect can be especially difficult in revision surgery and in rhinoplastic corrections of the thick-skinned "ethnic nose" of the colored man or woman.
  • Generally, the plastic surgeon first separates the nasal skin and the soft tissues from the osseo-cartilagenous nasal framework, and then corrects (reshapes) them as required, afterwards, sutures the incisions, and then applies either an external or an internal stent, and tape, to immobilize the newly reconstructed nose to facilitate the healing of the surgical cuts.

• Infectious Disease Transmission

  • Some infectious agents may be spread as a result of contact with a contaminated, inanimate object (known as a fomite), such as a coin passed from one person to another, while other diseases penetrate the skin directly.
  • An example of a mechanical vector is a housefly, which lands on cow dung, contaminating its appendages with bacteria from the feces and then lands on food.

• Orbits

  • The orbit is the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated.
  • The orbit, or eye socket, is the cavity located in the skull in which the eye and its associated appendages are housed.