Chapter 6

Assignment
Please complete this assignment by the due date. Type your answers in MS word or RTF and
submit it as an attached file in the assignment tool.
Total Point = 20

1. Complete the following:
a. epidermal cells also called prickle cells---Stratum Spinosum
b. epidermal cells containing keratohyaline granules---Stratum granulosum
c. epidermal cells capable of regenerating--stem cells
d. epidermal layer where melanocytes reside in the---Stratum Basale
e. layer of skin made up of dense irregular connective tissue---Reticular layer of the Dermis
2. Is a bald man really hairless? Explain
No because he has tinier hairs that are colorless due to the loss of pigmentation in his hair so
he does have hair but because they are so tiny and colorless it's assumed he is bald.

3. Both newborn infants and aged individuals have very little subcutaneous tissue. How does
this affect their sensitivity to cold environmental temperature?
Subcutaneous tissue, especially subcutaneous fat, serves to insulate the deeper tissues
from cold temperatures. so individuals like infants and elderly persons are more sensitive to the
cold due to this lack of insulation

4. When you are working outside in Houston on a very hot summer afternoon, describe two
ways your skin help to preserve homeostasis.
The integument can conserve heat by dilating blood vessels in the dermis, and it can release
excess heat by sweating and by dilating blood vessels in the dermis.

5. Victims of third degree burns demonstrate the loss of vital functions performed by the skin.
What are the two most important problems encountered clinically with such patients?
Two most important problems encountered clinically with patients suffering for third degree
burns, are dehydration and infection.
CONCEPT QUESTIONS
1. Once a burn on the forearm that destroys epidermis and extensive areas of the deep dermis
heals, will hair grow again in the affected area?
The hair follicles are in the dermis. Where the epidermis and deep dermis are destroyed, new
hair will not grow.

2. A splinter that penetrates to the third layer of epidermis of the palm is lodged in which layer?
Stratum Granulosum

3. Why does swimming in fresh water for an extended period cause epidermal swelling?
Fresh water is hypotonic with respect to the skin cells, so water moves into the cells by
osmosis, causing them to swell

4. Why can skin regenerate effectively even after considerable damage?
Because stem cells persist in both the epithelial and connective tissue components of skin.
When injury occurs, cells of the stratum germinativum replace epithelial cells while
mesenchymal cells replace cells lost from the dermis