Integumentary system

Question 1

How does UV radiation contribute to skin wrinkle?

Answer 1

UV radiation degrades collagen and leads to loss of skin elasticity and water-holding capacity.

Question 2

What change in the skin leads to cold intolerance in the elderly?

Answer 2

Loss of subcutaneous fat, common in the elderly, leads to cold intolerance seen in this group of people.

Question 3

What is the source of vernix caseosa that covers the skin of the newborn baby.

Answer 3

Vernix caseosa is a product of the sebaceous glands.

Question 4

Although the anterior head and face represent only a small percentage of the body surface, burns to this area are often more serious than those to the body trunk. Why?

Answer 4

Burns to the face are serious because damage to the respiratory passageways can occur in such burns.

Question 5

The healing of burns and epidermal regeneration is usually uneventful unless the burn is a third degree burn. What accounts for this difference?

Answer 5

First and second degree burns can heal uneventfully by regeneration of epidermal cells as long as infection does not occur. Third degree burns destroy the entire depth of skin and regeneration is not possible. Infection and loss of body fluid and proteins are problematic.

Question 6

What name is given to the rule for recognizing the signs of melanoma?

Answer 6

The ABCD rule helps one to recognize signs of melanoma.