Skin

&
Sense of
touching

All multicellular organisms have a skin composed

of one or more layers.
Main functions of the skin are
1) Protection of the inner layers of the body from
physical and chemical effects
2) Prevention of the entry of the microbes
3) Prevention of water loss in terrestrial organisms
4) Protection of the cells from UV light or intense
light
5) Regulation of body temperature
6) Maintenance of gas exchange
7) Excretion of toxic materials via sweat glands
8) Maintenance of a moist body surface
9) Secretion of fat
10) Absorption of some medicines

1) Protection of the inner layers of the body from

physical and chemical effects

Acid burn

2) Prevention of the entry of the microbes

3) Prevention of water loss in terrestrial organisms

4) Protection of the cells from UV light or intense

light

5) Regulation of body temperature

6) Maintenance of gas exchange

CO2
O2

7) Excretion of toxic materials via sweat glands

Ohhhh!
Is this the
reason I
am
sweating?

8) Maintenance of a moist body surface

9) Secretion of fat

Normal Hair Follicle

Thin Skin
(hair follicle and sebaceous glands)

10) Absorption of some medicines

Skin is
completely
composed of
two different
layers

1) Epidermis
2) Dermis

Epidermis

 It is composed of keratinized epithelial

cells.

The keratinized layer is the superficial layer of dead squamous cells.

 The epidermis is replaced with a new one as

it sheds.

 It is a barrier against chemical and physical

effects and it also prevents the entry of
microbes. It is a barrier against chemical and
physical effects and it also prevents the entry
of microbes.
It originates
from
ectoderm in
the embryo.
It does not
contain any
blood
vessels and
nerve cells.

 Pigment
melanin,
which gives
the color
of the skin,
is present
in
melanocytes
of the
epidermis.

melanocytes

Dermis

It is approximately 6 times thicker than the

epidermis.
It originates from the mesoderm in the
embryo.
The dermis contains

1) Blood vessels

5) Hair follicles

2) Nerve endings

6) Lymph vessels

3) Sebaceous glands 7) Smooth muscles

4) Sweat glands

8) Receptors

Structure of dermis

1) Blood vessels nourish the skin and

remove the waste materials

2) Nerve endings are for the

reception of stimuli

3) Sebaceous glands secrete a substance

that protects the body against infectious
bacteria and fungi.

4) Sweat glands are involved in the removal of

water, minerals, urea and other unwanted
substances by sweating. Sweating is important
in the regulation of body temperature.

5) Hair follicle is the invisible portion of a hair, in the

dermis. The visible portion is named as hair shaft.
Hair follicle is in contact with smooth muscles, blood
vessels, nerve endings and sebaceous glands.

 The color of the hair is given by the pigment melanin.

The more the melanin production is the blacker the
hair. In blonds melanin is less produced. In albinos,
there is no melanin production due to their genetic
structure. During aging hairs loose their color and
become white.

6) Lymph vessels carry the lymph fluid all

about the dermis and function in immunity.

7) The movement of the hair is provided by

smooth muscles (=ex :in human and cats)

8) The receptors of the skin are present in

the dermis. These receptors are
functional in the reception of touch,
pressure, temperature and pain. Best
known receptors are
a) Pacinian corpuscles
b) Meissner and Merkels corpuscles
c) Krause and Ruffini corpuscles
d) Hair follicle receptors
e) Free nerve endings.

a) Pacinian corpuscles are the most important

receptors of the skin.
They are the greatest mechanoreceptors in the
skin.
They are located in the walls of inner organs
and are responsible from the detection of
heavy pressure changes.

b) Meissner and Merkels corpuscles are involved in

light pressure changes and therefore located in
the fingers and lips.

Meissner`s corpuscle

c) Krause and Ruffini corpuscles are the receptors

that are responsible to detect temperature
changes.
Krause corpuscles are for cold reception and
Ruffini corpuscles are for hot reception.

Krause Corpuscle

Ruffini Corpuscle

 Krause and Ruffini corpuscles are easily fooled.

As an experiment; when we put one of our
hands in hot water and the other in cold water
and then both of them in cool water, the one
that was in hot water feels cold and the one
that was in cold water feels hot.

d) Hair follicle receptors are present around the

hair follicle and they are related to sense of
touch.

e) Free nerve endings are involved mainly in pain

reception. When a section in the body is
injured, the individual feels pain and tries to
remove the pain by an action.

3-dimensional cut away section

of skin and its components

THE
END!