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The Integumentary System

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The Integumentary System

The body’s physical barrier protects it from infections, bacteria, viruses, direct sunlight,

and injuries. The physical barrier comprises the skin, hair, glands, and nails to create the

integumentary system. The hair assists the body in keeping its heat, especially during cold

weather, and helps it get enough air circulation to keep the body fresh. The glands are highly

significant to the body since they excess water, mineral salt, and other excretion from the body—

all the functions of the integumentary system are necessary for maintaining life.

Although the integumentary system protects the body against all sorts of dangers, it is

vulnerable to several illnesses, injuries, and disorders. The range of integumentary system

susceptibility begins from fungal infection and viruses to skin burns and cancer. Skin cancer is

one of the most chronic diseases affecting the integumentary system. Other diseases that affect

this system include Basal cell Carcinoma, Melanoma, Eczema, and allergic reaction manifesting

as dry, itchy patches of the skin looking like rushes (Bassi et al., 2021). Also, skin injuries are

part of the vulnerabilities the integumentary system faces since the skin is the only organ in the

system with the most dangers due to its exposure to the outer world. The above condition and

many others can interfere with the integrity of the integumentary system, predisposing a person

to complications (Lawrence & Bull, 2020).

The primary condition is also fatal to thermal skin burns. A thermal burn is a skin

condition that occurs when the skin gets damaged by an intensive amount of heat, chemical or

electrical radiation. Thermal burn causes the skin cells to die, resulting in excessive loss of body

fluids (Dehydration), which can cause a cardiovascular system failure. The most chronic thermal

burn is only treatable at a burn center. Thermal burning causes three local injury zones to the
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skin, the innermost (coagulation zone) representing the pace where there is an irreversible dead

cell (Bassi et al., 2021).

Another one includes the statis zone, a place with decreased circulation and an area at

increased risk of progression to necrosis due to hypoperfusion or infection. Finally, the outmost

part is the zone of hyperemia, representing an area of rescindable vasodilation. The area usually

heals and returns to normal. Thermal burns divide according to the level of their severity. The

classes include the first degree, which affects only the epidermis (Inchingolo et al., 2021). The

first-degree burn site is red, painful, dry, and without blisters. The second one goes deeper into

the dermis; the third-degree thermal burn touches deeper, destroying the tissues and affecting the

sensory nerve and sensory function. When bones, tendons, or muscles burn, the burn becomes a

fourth-degree burn. The burn site appears white, with no feeling in the area since it destroys the

nerve endings.
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References

Bassi, C., Fattori, G., Bellio, M., Corrà, F., Schumann, S., Bonato, M., ... & Santovito, G. (2021).

Feel with the skin. Didactic research to introduce the integumentary system and sensory

perception in primary school. In EDULEARN21 Proceedings (pp. 6693-6702). IATED.

Inchingolo, A. D., Cazzolla, A. P., Di Cosola, M., Lucchina, A. G., Santacroce, L., Charitos, I.

A., ... & Dipalma, G. (2021). The integumentary system and its microbiota between

health and disease. peptides (AMPs), 7, 8. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angela-

Cazzolla/publication/353369884_The_integumentary_system_and_its_microbiota_betwe

en_health_and_disease/links/6258fb1d4173a21a0d13adfe/The-integumentary-system-

and-its-microbiota-between-health-and-disease.pdf

Lawrence, J. C., & Bull, J. P. (2020). Thermal skin burns. Engineering in Medicine, 5(3), 61-63.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324822473_Skin_Burns