Case Study: Examining the Structure and Function of Human Skin

This case study explores the structure and functions of human skin, encompassing its five major layers: stratum corneum, epidermis, dermal-epidermal junction, dermis, and hypodermis. It delves into the cellular processes within these layers, including keratin synthesis and cell differentiation. The assignment further examines the sensory functions of the skin, such as its role in detecting pain, temperature, and touch through specialized neural structures like Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles and Merkel cells. Additionally, it discusses thermoregulation, highlighting the skin's involvement in maintaining body temperature through sweat glands and the sympathetic nervous system. The case study references relevant scientific literature to support its findings.

CASE STUDIES 1
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CASE STUDIES 2
Question 1
When the cells migrate into the stratum spinosum, they initiate to synthesize keratin and
produce desmosomes to interlink adjacent cells. While the striatum basal carries on to generate
new cells, keratinocytes present in the striatum spinosum are moved or embedded in the stratum
granulosum. This flattens the cells while cell membranes becoming thick and they produce good
amounts of keratohyalin and keratin proteins. The nucleus and other cellular organelles
disintegrate when the cells die, leaving keratohyalin, keratin, and the cell membrane behind,
forming the stratum corneum and stratum lucidum. Keratinocytes mostly get flattened and die in
these layers. Stratum corneum cells are periodically rejected or shed off (Feher, 2017; Fox,
2015).
The human skin contains 5 major layers. These are as follows (Fox, 2015; Moissl-
Eichinger, C., Probst, A. J., Birarda, G., Auerbach, A., Koskinen, K., Wolf, P., & Holman, H.-Y.
N., 2017):
Stratum Corneum: The stratum corneum consists of dead cells, keratinocytes, and the
outermost layer of skin that acts as a barrier against bacteria and moisture. With age, this
blockage worsens and becomes crusty and scaly.
Epidermis: The epidermis contains keratin-producing living keratinocytes cells. With
age, this layer becomes thinner as the new keratinocyte production rate decreases in the body.
Dermal-Epidermal Junction: It is an intimate layer of skin between the epidermis and
the dermis upper layer primarily made of collagen.

CASE STUDIES 3
Dermis: This layer gives the skin its natural fullness, elasticity, and thickness. It has a
dense network of hair follicles, nerves, and blood vessels. It contains elastin and collagen which
permit the skin to stretch and then resume maintaining its shape.
Hypodermis: This skin layer consists of fat cells providing the fullness and softness to
the skin.
Question 2
The sensory function of the skin: The skin acts as a sensory organ as the epidermis,
dermis, and subcutaneous layer (hypodermis) of skin have specialized sensory neural structures
that recognize pain, surface temperature, and small touches. Sensitive responses to light touches
occur due to the Meissner corpuscle and vibrations are sensed by the Pacinian corpuscle (Abdo,
Sopko, & Milner, 2020; McLafferty, Hendry, & Farley, 2012).
Merkel cells, present in a scattered form in the stratum basal, act as tactile receptors.
There are sensory nerves attached to each hair follicle and there are more receptors to sense pain
and temperature scattered across the skin. Motor nerves innervating the pili glands and muscles
also have sensory roles. Together, they help to feel the environment and react accordingly.
One example is the sensing of a moving ant on the skin.
Thermoregulation: The integer system helps regulate body temperature through its close
association with the sympathetic nervous system (Grodzinsky & Levander, 2020; McLafferty,
Hendry, & Farley, 2012).
The sympathetic nervous system continuously monitors body temperature and initiates
appropriate motor responses. The sweat glands, the supporting structures of the skin, expel salt,

CASE STUDIES 4
water, and other substances to reduce the temperature of the body. When sweat comes out of the
surface of the skin, the body is cooled by its evaporation as the body heat is used as latent heat.
When the body becomes overheated due to high temperatures, intense activity, or a
combination of both, the sympathetic nervous system stimulates the sweat glands to produce
large amounts of sweat to control body temperature.
One example is the response to the cold and hot environment.
References
Abdo, J. M., Sopko, N. A., & Milner, S. M. (2020). THE APPLIED ANATOMY OF HUMAN
SKIN: A MODEL FOR REGENERATION. Wound Medicine, 100179.
Feher, J. J. (2017). Quantitative human physiology: an introduction: Academic press.
Fox, S. (2015). Human physiology: McGraw-Hill Education.
Grodzinsky, E., & Levander, M. S. (2020). Thermoregulation of the Human Body
Understanding Fever and Body Temperature (pp. 49-65): Springer.
McLafferty, E., Hendry, C., & Farley, A. (2012). The integumentary system: anatomy,
physiology and function of skin. Nursing Standard (through 2013), 27(3), 35.
Moissl-Eichinger, C., Probst, A. J., Birarda, G., Auerbach, A., Koskinen, K., Wolf, P., &
Holman, H.-Y. N. (2017). Human age and skin physiology shape diversity and
abundance of Archaea on skin. Scientific reports, 7(1), 1-10.