Integumentary System Anatomy Flashcards

The cuticle (eponychium) is the thin layer of skin that overlaps the nail plate at the:

Answer: Proximal nail fold

The eponychium (cuticle) seals the space between the nail plate and the proximal nail fold to prevent infection.

Sebaceous glands secrete sebum through which structure?

Answer: Hair follicles

Most sebaceous glands empty their sebum directly into hair follicles, lubricating both the hair shaft and surrounding skin.

Which epidermal layer is found ONLY in thick skin (palms and soles) and appears as a clear band?

Answer: Stratum lucidum

The stratum lucidum is a clear, translucent layer present only in thick, hairless skin of the palms and soles.

Desmosomes in the stratum spinosum create the 'spiny' appearance of those cells and serve to:

Answer: Anchor cells together to resist mechanical stress

Desmosomes are cell junctions that hold keratinocytes together in the stratum spinosum, giving them their characteristic spiny appearance and providing mechanical cohesion.

The process by which dead skin cells shed from the surface of the stratum corneum is called:

Answer: Desquamation

Desquamation is the continuous shedding of cornified dead cells from the skin surface as part of normal skin renewal.

Which blood vessel type is found in the papillary dermis and supplies nutrients to the avascular epidermis?

Answer: Capillaries

Capillary loops in the papillary dermis deliver nutrients and oxygen to the overlying epidermis by diffusion, since the epidermis itself has no blood vessels.

The nail bed's pink color is caused by:

Answer: Vascularized dermis visible through the translucent nail

The pink color of the nail bed comes from the rich blood supply in the underlying dermis, which is visible through the translucent nail plate.