The integumentary system (From Latin integumentum, from integere 'to cover'; from in- + tegere 'to cover')

is the organ system that protects the body from damage, comprising the skin and its appendages (including hair, scales, feathers, and nails). The integumentary system has a variety of functions; it may serve to waterproof, cushion, and protect the deeper tissues, excrete wastes, and regulate temperature, and is the attachment site for sensory receptors to detect pain, sensation, pressure, and temperature. In most terrestrial vertebrates with significant exposure to sunlight, the integumentary system also provides for vitamin D synthesis.

Layers of the skin

The integumentary system is the largest organ system. In humans, this system accounts for about 16 percent of total body weight and covers 1.5-2m2 of surface area. It distinguishes, separates, protects and informs the animal with regard to its surroundings. Small-bodied invertebrates of aquatic or continually moist habitats respire using the outer layer (integument). This gas exchange system, where gases simply diffuse into and out of the interstitial fluid, is called integumentary exchange. The human skin (integumentary) is composed of a minimum of 3 major layers of tissue, the Epidermis, the Dermis and Hypodermis. The Dermis comprises two sections, the Papillary and Reticular layers; they contain connective tissues, vessels, glands, follicles, hair roots, sensory nerve endings, and muscular tissue. The third layer is the Hypodermis and it is made up of adipose tissue.

Epidermis
This is the top layer of skin made up of epithelial cells. It does not contain blood vessels. Its main function is protection, absorption of nutrients, and homeostasis. In structure, it consists of a keratinized stratified squamous epithelium comprising four types of cells: keratinocytes, melanocytes, Merkel cells, and Langerhans' cells. The major cell of the epidermis is the keratinocyte, which produces keratin. Keratin is a fibrous protein that aids in protection. Keratin is also a water-proofing protein. Millions of dead keratinocytes rub off daily. The majority of the skin on the body is keratinized, meaning waterproofed. The only skin on the body that is nonkeratinized is the lining of skin on the inside of the mouth. Non-keratinized cells allow water to "stay" atop the structure. The protein keratin stiffens epidermal tissue to form fingernails. Nails grow from thin area called the nail matrix; growth of nails is 1-mm per week on average. The lunula is the crescentshape area at the base of the nail, this is a lighter colour as it mixes with the matrix cells.

Dermis
The dermis is the middle layer of skin, composed of dense irregular connective tissues such as collagen with elastin arranged in a diffusely bundled and woven pattern. These layers serve to give elasticity to the integument, allowing stretching and conferring flexibility, while also resisting distortions, wrinkling,

and sagging. The dermal layer provides a site for the endings of blood vessels and nerves. Many chromatophores are also stored in this layer, as are the bases of integumental structures such as hair, feathers, and glands.

Hypodermis
Although technically not part of the integumentary system, the hypodermis, or subcutaneous tissue, is the layer of tissue directly underneath the dermis. It is composed mainly of connective and adipose tissue. Its physiological functions include insulation, the storage of energy, and aiding in the anchoring of the skin. This is the thickest layer of the integumentary system.

Functions
The integumentary system has multiple roles in homeostasis. All body systems work in an interconnected manner to maintain the internal conditions essential to the function of the body. The skin has an important job of protecting the body and acts as the bodys first line of defense against infection, temperature change, and other challenges to homeostasis. Functions include:

Protect the bodys internal living tissues and organs Protect against invasion by infectious organisms Protect the body from dehydration Protect the body against abrupt changes in temperature, maintain homeostasis Help excrete waste materials through perspiration Act as a receptor for touch, pressure, pain, heat, and cold (see Somatosensory system) Protect the body against sunburns by secreting melanin Generate vitamin D through exposure to ultraviolet light Store water, fat, glucose, and vitamin D Maintenance of the body form Formation of new cells from stratum germinativum to repair minor injuries Aid in physical examination as color of the skin may indicate many conditions e.g.it becomes yellowish in jaundice

Melanocytes are melanin-producing cells located in the bottom layer (the stratum basale) of the skin's epidermis, the middle layer of the eye (the uvea), the inner ear, meninges,[3] bones, and heart. Melanin is a pigment that is responsible primarily for the color of skin. The stratum corneum (Latin for horned layer) is the outermost layer of the epidermis, consisting of dead cells (corneocytes) that lack nuclei and organelles. The purpose of the stratum corneum is to form a barrier to protect underlying tissue from infection, dehydration, chemicals and mechanical stress. Desquamation, the process of cell shedding from the surface of the stratum corneum, balances proliferating keratinocytes that form in the stratum basale. These cells migrate through the epidermis towards the surface in a journey that takes approximately fourteen days.

The Stratum germinativum (or basal layer, stratum basale) is the deepest layer of the 5 layers of the epidermis, which is the outer covering of skin in mammals. The stratum germinativum is a continuous layer of cells. It is often described as one cell thick, though it may in fact be two to three cells thick in glabrous (hairless) skin and hyperproliferative epidermis (from a skin disease). The basal cells of the stratum germinativum can be considered the stem cells of the epidermis. They are undifferentiated, and they proliferate. They create 'daughter' cells that migrate superficially, differentiating as they do so. The keratinocytes of the stratum germinativum undergo mitosis continually throughout the individual's life. Melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells of the epidermis, are primarily found in the stratum germinativum. Human nails grow from Stratum germinativum.