The Integumentary System.9dycnxuxya6wyww

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1. The Integumentary System

2. SKIN - it is an externally visible organ system that covers the body. Skin is the largest organ weighing about 3.6 kilograms with a total area of 2 square meters for an adult huma n

3. The skin including the glands in the skin, nails, and hair, makes up the human integumentary system. Integument means OUTER COVERING.

4. INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM The main function of integumentary system is to cover and protect the body. The skin is an elastic covering encasing the body muscles, blood, and bones. It has four (4) specific roles.

5. Act as a protective barrier . The skin keeps out decease-causing microorganisms. Because skin is waterproof, it retains the fluids of the body inside. Melanin, the pigment produced by the skin and gives skin its color, absorbs the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can cause skin cancer. However sunlight and cholesterol---a lipid found in animal membranes, help the skin make vitamin D, which is necessary for strong bones and teeth. Serves as a sense organ . Tiny nerve endings in the skin sense heat, cold, pain, and pressure.

6. 3. Supports body movement . The skin stretches and contracts as the body moves. 4. C ontrols the body’s internal temperature . Temperature affects the blood vessel in the skin. When its cold, the blood vessels constrict preventing the loss of the body’s heat to the surroundings. When it’s hot, they dilate releasing heat. Moreover, the sweat glands in the skin release sweat. The sweat evaporates when it absorbs body heat, thus cooling the body.