Medical Terminology - Chapter 3 - Integumentary System

vesicle

A blister; small, fluid-filled raised spot on the skin.

abscess

A collection of pus in the skin

scleroderma

A condition in which the skin has lost its elasticity and become hardened.

cellulitis

A diffuse, acute infection and inflammation of the connective tissue found in the skin.

lesion

A general term for a wound, injury, or abnormality.

albinism

A genetic condition in which the body is unable to make melanin. Characterized by white hair and skin and red pupils due to the lack of pigment. The person with albinism is called an albino.

abrasion

A scraping-away of the skin surface by friction.

eschar

A thic layer of dead tissue and tissue fluid that develops over a deep burn area.

hyperpigmentation

Abnormal amount of pigmentation in the skin.

necrosis

Abnormal condition of death.

hyperhidrosis

Abnormal condition of excessive sweat.

anhidrosis

Abnormal condition of no sweat.

pallor

Abnormal paleness of the skin.

Sweat Glands

About 2 million sweat glands, also called sudoriferous glands, are found throughout the body. Highly coiled glands are located in the dermis. Sweat travels to the surface of the skin in a sweat duct. The surface opening of a sweat duct is called a sweat pore. Sweat glands function to cool the body as sweat evaporates. Sweat or perspiration contains a small amount of waste product but is normally colorless or odorless. Sweat glands called apocrine glands are in the public and underarm areas that secrete thicker sweat, which can produce an odor when it comes into contact with bacteria on the skin (body odor).

Dermis

Aka corium, is the middle lyaer of skin, between epidermis and subcutaneous layer. "True skin." Living tissue with a very good blood supply. Composed of connective tissue and collagen fibers (made from a strong, fibrous protein present in connective tissue, forming a flexible "glue" that gives connective tissue its strength). The dermis houses hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, blood vessels, lymph vessels, sensory receptors, nerve fibers, and muscle fibers.

urticaria

Also called hives; a skin eruption of pale reddish wheals with severe itching. Usually associated with food allergy, stress, or drug reactions.

dermatology

Branch of medicine involving diagnosis and treatment of conditions and diseases of the integumentary system. Physician is a dermatologist.

basal cell carcinoma

Cancerous tumor of the basal cell layer of the epidermis. A frequent type of skin cancer that rarely metastasizes or spreads. These cancers can arise on sun-exposed skin.

acne rosacea

Chronic form of acne seen in adults involving redness, tiny pimples, and broken blood vessels, primarily on the nose and cheeks

comedo

Collection of hardened sebum in hair follicle. Also called a blackhead.

acne vulgaris

Common form of acne seen in teenagers. Characterized by comedos, papules, and pustules.

Epidermis

Composed of stratified squamous epithelium. This type of epithelial tissue consists of flat scale-like cells arranged in overlapping layers or strata. There is no blood supply or any connective tissue, so it is dependent for nourishment on the deeper layers of skin. Deepest layer within epidermis is called the basal layer. Cells in this layer continually grow and multiply. New cells that are forming push the old cells toward the outer layer of the epidermis. During this process the cells shrink, die, and become filled with a hard protein called keratin. These dead, overlapping, keratinized cells allow the skin to act as an effective barrier to infection and also make it waterproof. The basal layer also contains special cells called melanocytes, which produce the black pigment melanin. Not only is this pigment responsible for the color of the skin, but it also protects against damage from the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun. This damage may be in the form of leather-like skin and wrinkles, which are not hazardous, or it may be one of several forms of skin cancer. Dark-skinned people have more melanin and are generally less likely to get wrinkles or skin cancer.

The Skin

Composed of two layers, the superficial epidermis, and the deeper dermis. Underlying the dermis is another layer called the hypodermis, or subcutaneous layer. The hypodermis is not truly one of the layers of the skin, but because it assists in the functions of the skin, it is studied along with the skin.

xeroderma

Condition in which the skin is abnormally dry.

photosensitivity

Condition in which the skin reacts abnormally when exposed to light, such as the ultraviolet (UV) rays of the sun.

suppurative

Containing or producing pus.

purulent

Containing pus or an infection that is producing pus. Pus consists of dead bacteria, white blood cells, and tissue debris.

fissure

Crack-like lesion or groove on the skin.

burn

Damage to the skin that can result from exposure to open fire, electricity, UV light from the sun, or caustic chemicals. First degree, Second degree, and third degree varies from extent of the burn.

Sensory receptors

Detect temperature, pain, touch, and pressure, and are located in the skin. Sensations are conveyed to the spinal cord and brain from the nerve endings in the middle layer of the skin.

hirsutism

Excessive hair growth over the body.

lipoma

Fatty mass.

Hair

Fibers that make up hair are composed of the protein keratin, the same hard protein material that fills the cells of the epidermis. The deeper cells in the hair root force older keratinized cells to move upward, forming the hair shaft, which grows toward the skin surface within the hair follicle. Melanin gives hair its color. Sebaceous glands release oil directly into the hair follicle. Each hair has a small slip of smooth muscle attached to it called the arrector pili muscle. When this muscle contracts the hair shaft stands up, resulting in goose bumps.

nodule

Firm, solid mass of cells in the skin larger than 0.5 cm in diameter.

macule

Flat, discolored area that is flush with the skin surface. An example would be a freckle or a birthmark.

cyst

Fluid-filled sac under the skin (worse than a pimple).

Sebaceous Glands

Found in the dermis, secrete the oil sebum, which lubricates the hair and skin, thereby helping to prevent drying and cracking. These glands secrete sebum directly into hair follicles, rather than a duct. Secretion from the sebaceous glands increases during adolescence, playing a role in the development of acne. Sebum secretion begins to diminish as age increases. A loss of sebum in old age, along with sun exposure, can account for wrinkles and dry skin.

leukoderma

Having skin that appears white because the normal skin pigment is absent. May be all of the skin or just in some areas.

purpura

Hemorrhages into the skin due to fragile blood vessels that appear dark brown/purplish. Commonly seen in older adults.

acne

Inflammatory disease of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles resulting in papules and pupstules.

contusion

Injury caused by a blow to the body; causes swelling, pain, and bruising. The skin is not broken.

Accessory Organs

Located within dermis, including hair, nails, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands

depigmentation

Loss of normal skin color or pigment.

Nails

Nails are flat plate of kertin called the nail body that covers the ends of finders and toes. The anil body is connected to the tissue underneath by the nail bed. Grow longer from nail root, which is found at the base of the nail and is covered and protected by the soft tissue cuticle. The free edge is the exposed edge that is trimmed when nails become too long. The light-colored half moon area at the base of the nail is the lunula.

seborrhea

Oily discharge.

ulcer

Open sore or lesion in skin or mucous membrane.

Subcutaneous Layer

Or hypodermis, is a continuous layer of fat that separates the dermis from deeper tissues. Composed of fat cells called lipocytes. Its functions include protecting deeper tissues of the body from tauma, acting as insulation from heat and cold, and serving as a source of energy in a starvation situation.

nevus

Pigmented skin blemish, birthmark, or mole. Usually benign but may become cancerous.

petechiae

Pinpoint purple or red spots from minute hemorrhages under the skin.

Functions of Skin

Primary function of skin is protection. It forms a two-way barrier capable of keeping pathogens (disease-causing organisms) and harmful chemicals from entering the body. It also stops critical body fluids from escaping the body and prevents injury to the internal organs lying underneath the skin.

Fluids

Produced in two types of skin glands: sweat and sebaceous. Sweat glands assist the body in maintaining its internal temperature by creating a cooling effect as sweat evaporates. The sebaceous glands, or oil glands, produce an oily substance that lubricates the skin surface.

diaphoresis

Profuse sweating.

pustule

Raised spot on the skin containing pus.

hyperemia

Redness of the skin due to increased blood flow.

erythema

Redness or flushing of the skin.

pruritus

Severe itching.

ecchymosis

Skin discoloration caused by blood collecting under the skin following blunt trauma to the skin. A bruise.

Integumentary System Organs

Skin, hair, nails, sebaceous glands, and sweat glands are known as the integumentary system, with integument and cutaneous membrane being alternate terms for skin. Skin is largest organ of the body and can weigh more than 20 pounds in an adult. Skin serves many purposes for the body: protecting (primary), housing nerve receptors, secreting fluids, and regulating temperature.

wheal

Small, round, swollen area on the skin; typically seen in allergic skin reactions such as hives and usually accompanied by urticaria.

papule

Small, solid, circular raised spot on the surface of the skin less than 0.5 cm in diameter.

onychomalacia

Softening of the nails.

plastic surgery

Surgical specialty involved in repair, reconstruction, or improvement of body structures such as the skin that are damaged, missing, or misshapen. Physician is a plastic surgeon.

erythroderma

The condition of having reddened or flushed skin

ichthyoderma

The condition of having scaly and dry skin.

pyoderma

The presence of pus on or in the layers of skin. A sign of a bacterial infection.

Structure of skin

aids in regulation of body temperature through a variety of means. Evaporation of sweat cools the body, the body also lowers internal temperature by dilating superficial blood vessels in the skin (this brings more blood to surface of skin, which allows release of heat). Fat that makes up subcutaneous layer of skin acts as insulation.

Word Parts Used to Build Integumentary System Terms

albin/o - white angi/o - vessel baso/o - base bi/o - life carcin/o - cancer cauter/o - to burn chem/o - chemical cis/o - to cut cortic/o - outer layer cry/o - cold cutane/o - skin cyt/o - cell derm/o - skin dermat/o - skin diaphor/o - profuse sweating electr/o - electricity erythr/o - red esthesi/o - feeling hem/o - blood hidr/o - sweat ichthy/o - scaly, dry kerat/o - hard, horny leuk/o - white lip/o - fat melan/o - black myc/o - fungus necr/o - death onych/o - nail pedicul/o - lice phot/o - light py/o - pus rhytid/o - wrinkle sarc/o - flesh scler/o - hard seb/o - oil septic/o - infection system/o - system trich/o - hair ungu/o - nail vesic/o - sac xer/o - dry -al - pertaining to -derma - skin condition -ectomy - surgical removal -emia - blood condition -ia - state, condition -iasis - abnormal condition -ic - pertaining to -ism - state of -itis - inflammation -logy - study of -malacia - abnormal softening -oma - mass, tumor -opsy - view of -osis - abnormal condition -ous - pertaining to -phagia - eat, swallow -plasty - surgical repair -rrhea - discharge -tic - pertaining to -tome - instrument to cut -ule - small allo- - other an- - without anti- - against auto- - self de- - without epi- - above hyper- - excessive hypo- - below intra- - within para- - beside sub- - under xeno- - foreign

melan/o

black

cry/o

cold

necr/o

death

xer/o

dry

electr/o

electricity

lip/o

fat

sarc/o

flesh

xeno-

foreign

myc/o

fungus

trich/o

hair

scler/o

hard

kerat/o

hard, horny

pedicul/o

lice

phot/o

light

onych/o

nail

ungu/o

nail

seb/o

oil

allo-

other, different from usual

diaphor/o

profuse sweating

py/o

pus

erythr/o

red

vesic/o

sac, bladder

ichthy/o

scaly, dry

cutane/o

skin

derm/o

skin

dermat/o

skin

-derma

skin condition

hidr/o

sweat

system/o

system

cauter/o

to burn

albin/o

white

leuk/o

white

rhytid/o

wrinkle