skin

Question 1

what are the six functions of the skin?

Answer 1

protect, excrete, produce, thermoregulate, store and protect

Question 2

what does the skin produce as part of its function?

Answer 2

melanin, keratin and vitamin D3

Question 3

what type of tissue is predominant in the epidermis?

Answer 3

stratified squamous epithelium

Question 4

what are the five layers of the epidermis?

Answer 4

stratum corneum, stratum lucidum (only found in thick skin), stratum granulosum, stratum spinosum and stratum basale

Question 5

what are the plexuses of the dermis?

Answer 5

subpapillary and cutaneous

Question 6

what are the two layers of the dermis?

Answer 6

papillary and reticular

Question 7

which type of cell dominates the hypodermis?

Answer 7

adipocytes

Question 8

which layers of the skin does a third-degree burn affect?

Answer 8

epidermis, dermis and hypodermis

Question 9

which burn type leads to moist, red and blistered skin?

Answer 9

normal second-degree burns

Question 10

why are third-degree burns not painful?

Answer 10

becuase the sensory nerve endings have been destroyed

Question 11

what are the two types of sweat glands?

Answer 11

eccrine and apocrine

Question 12

where are apocrine sweat glands found?

Answer 12

specific areas e.g. armpit, groin and around the nipples

Question 13

what are the two functions of the nails?

Answer 13

protect fingertips/toes and enhance sensation

Question 14

what is the function of the arrector pili muscle?

Answer 14

to improve insulation

Question 15

what is vitamin D essential for?

Answer 15

normal calcium metabolism and strong bones

Question 16

which type of skin cancer is common but relatively benign?

Answer 16

basal cell carcinoma

Question 17

where does malignant melanoma originate?

Answer 17

melanocytes

Question 18

what are the four problems that skin aging causes?

Answer 18

slower skin repair, drier epidermis (less sebum), impaired cooling (less sweat) and less pigmentation

Question 19

how is melanin transferred from the melanocytes to epidermal cells?

Answer 19

melanosomes

Question 20

what causes freckles?

Answer 20

melanocytes overproducing melanosomes

Question 21

what are the five types of receptors in the skin?

Answer 21

free nerve endings, tactile discs, tactile corpuscles, lamellar corpuscles and bulbous corpuscles

Question 22

which receptor in the skin would be used when reading braille text?

Answer 22

tactile corpuscles

Question 23

where are tactile discs located in the skin?

Answer 23

deepest layer of epidermis

Question 24

what are the three things that free nerve endings respond to?

Answer 24

pain, movement and pressure, and temperature

Question 25

what is located in the walls of arteries and pre-capillary sphincters?

Answer 25

smooth muscle

Question 26

what are the four primary mechanisms of heat transfer?

Answer 26

radiation, evaporation, convection and conduction

Question 27

what are the three heat generating mechanisms?

Answer 27

shivering, non-shivering thermogenesis and increased thyroxine

Question 28

what four responses to high body temperature are coordinated by the heat-loss center?

Answer 28

behavioural changes, vasodilation, sweating and increased respiratory rate

Question 29

what does the contraction of arrector pili muscles do?

Answer 29

pulls hairs upright and dimples skin i.e. causes goosebumbs

Question 30

what are the three potential complications of severe burns directly related to skin funciton?

Answer 30

dehydration and hypovolemic shock, infection/sepsis and hypothermia