THE MAMMALIAN SKIN

This is the largest organ in the body (1.5-2.0 sq.

meters in an average adult).
It is the first line of defense of the body against
external factors.
Most skin surfaces are covered with hair or fur.
Fur is denser than hair and is more effective at
providing insulation.

ROLES OF THE MAMMALIAN

SKIN

The mammalian skin plays vital roles. These

include:
Excretion: Excess water, salts, traces of urea..
Thermoregulation
Protection of the underlying tissues
Sensation: It contains receptors to heat, pressure,
temperature, touch.
Storage: Storage center for lipids and vitamins
Synthesis of vitamin D

Skin ultra-structure

LAYERS OF THE SKIN

The skin is made up of three main layers
Epidermis
Dermis
Hypodermis (sub cutaneous fat layer)

A. EPIDERMIS
This is the outermost layer of the skin.
It is further comprised of three layers
a) Cornified layer
b) Granular layer
c) Malpighian layer

a). Cornified layer

Outermost layer. Made of dead cells filled with a protein

keratin to give it flexibility. This layer:

a) Protects the body against invasion by pathogens.
b) Reduces water loss to the surrounding.
c) Protects underlying tissues against mechanical damage.
)Distribution: its thickness varies. Areas of high friction

like palms have a thicker cornified layer. Lips have a thin

cornified layer.

b). Granular layer

This is the middle epidermal layer
This layer comprises of living cells. As the
name suggests, cells found here have granules.
Granular layer gives rise to the cornified layer
which is lost through abrasion.

c). Malpighian layer

This is the innermost epidermal layer

It contains actively dividing cells. Some cells of the
malpighian layer (melanocytes) produce melanin; a
pigment that:
a) Protects the skin against strong harmful UV radiations
from the sun.
b) It also gives the skin its color.

Malpighian layer also gives rise to the granular

layer. Ever wondered why people along the tropics
are darker?

B. DERMIS
This is the thickest skin layer. Contains numerous
structures:
Nerve endings
Blood vessels and lymphatic vessels
Hair follicles
Sweat glands
Sebaceous glands
Erector pili muscles

i). Nerve endings

The nerve endings in the dermis are vital in the

sensory role of the skin.

They enable the skin detect changes in the

environment and respond to them appropriately.

The nerve endings are sensitive to touch, pressure,

temperature, vibrations etc. Pacinian is a specialized

bulb like ending sensitive to pressure changes.
Meissners corpuscle are touch receptors.

ii). Blood Vessels

Skin is supplied with numerous blood vessels. These
vessels:
Supply skin tissues with nutrients and oxygen.
Remove metabolic wastes and carbon (IV) oxide from the skin.
Take part in thermoregulation: when body temp. is high; they
vasodilate (increase in diameter) and move closer to the skin
surface to facilitate heat loss through diffusion. At low temp., the
vessels vasoconstrict (decrease in diameter) and descend deeper
into the skin reducing heat loss through diffusion.

iii). Lymphatic vessels

The skin has numerous lymphatic vessels which
drain off excess tissue fluid from the skin.

iv). Sweat glands

Sweat glands contain numerous secretory cells
which absorb excess water, carbon (IV) oxide,
mineral salts and urea from the neighboring cells
into the glands to form sweat.
When temperatures increase; sweat is released via
sweat duct to the skin surface. Through sweat,
excess water, traces of urea, salts and heat are
excreted.

v). Hair follicles

These originate from the dermis. They are vital in
heat regulation. They are attached to the epidermis
layer through erector pili muscles.
When the body temperatures are low; erector pili
muscles contract and the hair follicles erect trapping
air within the follicle. Being a poor conductor, air
minimizes heat loss.
When body temperatures are high; erector pili
muscles relax and hair follicles lie flat on the skin
less hair is trapped and this facilitates a lot of heat
loss.

vi). Sebaceous glands

Attached to the hair follicle, these glands secrete

sebum. An oily secretion which:
a) Gives the skin its supple appearance and flexibility.
b) Protects the skin against invasion by
microorganisms since the sebum has antiseptic
properties.

C. SUB-CUTANEOUS LAYER
Below the dermal layer is the sub-cutaneous layer that
stores fat underneath the skin.
The fat layer provides insulation to the body against
heat loss.
Those in the colder regions have larger fat deposits to
provide heat insulation.
Besides heat insulation, the adipose tissue also
provides storage for fat soluble vitamins.